The Hunger Brawls
by Lordoftheghostking28
Summary: The Capitol has risen again, this time enslaving whole worlds to the deadly Games. When the Reaping is over, twelve Tributes' lives shall change forever, many for the worse. Who will win? Who will survive? No one knows.
1. Chapter 1

** PROLOGUE**

Much has changed from the time of the Girl that was on Fire. Much has been re-thought and re-designed. Many Districts have fallen and many worlds have been captured and dragged to the Districts, mine included. The Hunger Games are more deadly than they were before.

The Reapings have changed dramatically. Instead of a boy and girl tribute from each District…now all names are thrown together in a giant glass ball and twelve are selected. Anyone can step forward and offer to take the place of whoever's name is drawn.

Another thing that has been changed is the Hunger Games themselves. Arenas are twice as big as they once were, with many new obstacles and threats. Games last longer and are more exciting. Many die in the first day.

When the tributes' names have been read off they can select anyone from the crowd to accompany them to the Capitol to watch the Games in comfort. The extras are there only for support and nothing else, other than stopping the homesickness that the tributes develop.

And then there are the Winnings.

Winners are given the choice between two things: One wish to be granted by the Capitol, or a never-ending supply of food for their families. Many have chosen option two. Only a few have take The Wish.

One, a fifteen year old girl with green hair named Lyn. She used her one wish to stop the Capitol from intruding into the District to kill her people every day until she died. The wish was honored and no one has died from the Capitol's cruel punishments sense that Game.

Another, a Pokémon Trainer by the name Trevor. He had used his wish to grant all the members of the District that had been locked up for crimes they did not commit freed. Again, the Capitol honored his wish and all were set free.

So here is where our story begins…and may end. I'm Lucas, one of the inhabitants from the District. There are no other Districts than the one we all live in. The Hunger Games are cruel to all because we all know each other…and many times we watch our friends die. Many times Champions waste their one wish because the Capitol won't grant it. Like the Champion from a few decades back. He wished for freedom; from the Capitol, from the District, everything. They refused and he was killed on the spot. Sense then…there has been signs of an uprising, but the Capitol has overlooked it every time.

But soon…soon we will rise against them and overthrow the corrupt government. But we just need a signal…a leader…


	2. Chapter 2, Ike

** CHAPTER 1, IKE**

I should have known from that the feeling I got the morning of the Reapings that I was in for it. Instead, I ignored it and got ready to face the dreaded day. After a quick breakfast of a thin slice of bread and hardly a swallow of water I slipped outside my small house—shack was a better word to describe it—and headed towards the weaponry. The Capitol was completely independent now, but they still had us make weapons for an unknown cause. Many have said they have us make the weapons in case we decide to rebel. Then we can be defeated by the instruments we helped create. Pure sick irony.

I pushed that thought aside and entered the small workplace. It was already alive with thunderous bangs, shouts, and hisses as the hot metal was dipped into a vat of cool water. I began fanning the coals to get them to a red-hot glow so I could begin working. Within an hour I had nearly completed a sword of my own design.

"Wow, Ike!" One of my companions said excitedly. "Another job well done." He couldn't have been more than nineteen; blue hair that came down to his neck, green eyes, and an energized look always on his face, Marth wasn't easily mistaken for anyone else. He always complimented me on my work and hardly ever left my side.

"To tell you the truth, I wasn't really even focusing." I admitted, dipping the sword into a bucket of water nearby. With a loud hiss it cooled and the sword was ready for the Capitol.

"So are you ready for the Reapings today?" Marth asked nervously. "I had to enter my name three times this year for my siblings…one of them broke his foot and can't possibly fight."

"I entered eighteen times." I sighed, beginning to smack another shapeless lump of metal into what was going to be a sword. "All for some of the older women here."

"Wow." Marth's eyes shone with awe. "You're great, Ike. I want to be just like you someday."

In today's Hunger Games, anyone is eligible to be picked in the Reapings. Not just twelve to nineteen year olds. Anyone. Anyone including newborns. Whenever one of them is drawn, at least a dozen people fight to take its place. It's heartbreaking.

"You really don't, Marth." I muttered under my breath, returning to my work as a Peacekeeper walked by.

We toiled along until two O'clock, when the Peacekeepers released us to head to The Square where the Reapings would take place. Already a crowd was forming, many of them nervous. Some were crying.

Of course, as soon as I picked a place to stand, Marth was by my side. He glanced around before saying, "There's really a lot of people here."

He said that every year. But it was true, the Capitol was pulling inhabitants from other worlds here and enslaving them to make a mass of weapons. Everyone had their theories on why so many weapons were made, but no one could confirm anything.

Three Capitol people were standing on a raised platform and holding a huge glass Reaping ball. I couldn't help but think that my name was in there, entered eighteen times…

"Let the one hundredth and twenty third Hunger Games begin here!" One of the Capitol workers said excitedly. He had orange hair as bright as a carrot, and an unnaturally large smile. He reached into the Reaping ball and brought out a name…

"Link!"

I let my breath escape in a hiss once I realized it was no one I knew. Only twelve more names to go and then I can return to weapon making. A tall kid clad in green shakily made his way up to the podium, pale as snow. Carrothead handed him his slip of paper and motioned for him to stand behind the podium until the other Tributes were called. The kid was shaking now, his bright blue eyes wide with horror…

"Lucario!"

A perfect example of a world taken over by the Capitol. Jhoto, a region in a world where strange beings called Pokémon lived. Many of them had been transferred here to the District, where they mined steel and coal to fuel the fires to heat the metal. A blue Pokémon with a mask of black fur walked coolly up to the podium, took the paper, and walked over to stand next to Link.

"No one will take their place?" Carrothead asked. "On with the Reapings…"

The suspense mounted as he drew another name out.

"Marth!"

"NO!" I shouted before I knew what I was doing. I leapt forward. "I'll take his place!"

"Very well, and you are…?" Carrothead asked.

"I'm Ike." I said. "And I don't plan to lose."

"Good for you, a bright attitude." Carrothead handed me Marth's slip of paper, but not before he wrote my name on the back of it. "Go stand next to them."

I stood beside Link, who looked like any second he would collapse from fear. I didn't know what to say to him exacally, so I just faced forward and tried to act as calm as Lucario.

More names were called. Starfox…Wolf O'Donnell… Pikachu…Samus Aran…until Carrothead drew the next name.

"Zelda!"

I barely managed to catch Link before he fainted dead away. The girl that nearly ran back to us tributes had to be his girlfriend by the way she practically slapped me away. She gently lowered Link to the ground and sat next to him, tears streaming off her face.

"Sonic the Hedgehog!"

Another example of a world taken over by the Capitol. Sonic I had seen around before, but he was usually always trying to find something to do after he helped assemble guns somewhere. His race, the Mobians, were usually very nice to us, but a huge target for the Peacekeepers. They usually stayed well away from each other, no matter what the occasion. Sonic accepted the piece of paper and stood next to Lucario, staring at the ground.

"Solid Snake!"

A man wearing camouflage stepped from the crowd and nearly ripped the peace of paper out of Carrothead's fist as he strode back to join us. He didn't seem like the type to mess with. He gave me a steely glare once he realized I was staring at him.

"Marth!"

I thought my heart stopped. They did not just call Marth's name again…

Marth shakily walked up to the podium and took the paper. Carrothead turned to the crowd and asked mockingly, "Anyone else want to take his place?"

The crowd was deathly silent. No one moved towards the podium to save the kid's life. All I had done was sentence myself to death…

Carrothead shrugged and reached back into the Reaping ball. He drew a name out, and smiled evilly at it before reading:

"Ness!"

A small kid who could have only been about ten years old tore himself away from a mob of wailing kids and walked up to the podium. But before he could take the paper, a voice called out from the crowd, "Stop! I will take his place!"

From the mob came another Mobian, this one I immeadentally recognized. His name was Shadow, and he was famous here in the District because of how fast he could assemble any weapon in record time. The Peacekeepers were visibly disappointed, because they knew that they would be losing their most valuable worker. Shadow accepted Ness' slip and stood next to Marth.

"Wow, two volunteers!" Carrothead said happily. "Is this exciting, or what?"

No one answered as he put the giant Reaping ball away and turned to us. "Now pick anyone to accompany you to the Capitol to watch the Games in comfort! It's a treat for everyone!"

I wanted so badly to run up to him and punch him. But instead I pointed into the crowd and said, "Roy, do you want to come?"

My childhood friend slowly stepped forward and barely squeaked out, "Sure, Ike. Ok." Both he and I knew that I was going to die. And he would be in the Capitol to watch it.

Marth had already picked out his companion. The winner from a few years back, a young girl named Lyn. She had a cold look in her eyes and wasted no time whispering urgently into Marth's ear. No doubt already beginning to instruct him on what to do in the arena.

The others soon chose their companions, most of them having worried and even terrified looks on their faces, like they didn't want to go to the Capitol but were going to just to be there for their tribute. It was heartbreaking. Carrothead began announcing everyone's names in an energetic voice.

"Accompanying Link is Midna!" He began. "And with Zelda is the King of Evil, Ganondorf!"

I could see the question in Link's eyes. He and Ganondorf had been enemies since…forever. Why was Zelda choosing Ganondorf to come to the Capitol with her? Everyone knew he was violent, uncooperative and bossy. Link's partner was barely as long as my arm and not very human. She looked like something out of a fairy tale.

"With the two Pokémon are two Trainers named Ash and Trevor!" Carrothead continued.

Trevor was wearing the typical Pokémon hat along with a vest over a red shirt, blue jeans, and a small green backpack slung over one shoulder. Ash's black hair stuck up chaotically under his hat, and he shuffled his feet back and fourth in the dust. He was also wearing blue jeans and a green vest over a black shirt.

"Accompanying Wolf is Falco! And with Fox is Krystal!"

Falco calmly walked over to Wolf and nodded curtly. Krystal, on the other hand, threw her arms around Fox's neck and burst out in tears. Fox was slightly taken aback but he didn't push her away. I glanced up at the blue sky and wondered once again how the would had to end up like this.

With Samus was Ness. Apparently she had no one she wanted to bring with her so he volunteered. Another kid lunged at Ness and managed to catch his ankle, screaming, "Don't leave me!" But Ness only shook his head sadly and followed Samus back up to the podium.

With Snake was an associate, Mei Ling. She was pretty, and it was apparent to why he had chosen her. But she didn't make eye contact with him as he called her and never did throughout the rest of the ceremony.

With Sonic was a small yellow fox with two tails who kept glancing around the tributes like they would suddenly attack, even though they weren't in the arena yet. He had a reason to be worried, though. I'd give him that.

Shadow had chosen a young girl dressed in blue. Her eyes were wide with worry and fear, but she never said anything. I recognized her almost immeadentally, she and Shadow had become the most unlikely of friends a while back. If I was right, her name was Maria.

"Right! Now the train will arrive soon!" Carrothead announced cheerfully, But I could detect a hint of evil in it. All twelve of us plus our accompaniments followed him away from the crowd, despite the wails of protest and worry from the other citizens. He directed us behind a small group of houses and said:

"Here's how it's going to work. We'll do some short interviews now, and then maybe some later on the train. Once we're on the train, claim a room and then report to the dining car. We'll discuss things further there. My name's Corewell."

Out of nowhere a huge band of camera-laden people ran at us and jammed a million microphones in my face, each screaming a different question at me.

"What's it like to be a member of the Hunger Games?"

"Any regrets in life?"

"Have you ever thought this would happen?"

"Do you think you have a chance of surviving?"

"Anything you would like to say to the District before leaving?"

I answered everything as best as I could, but I think most of my answers were lost in the second flurry of questions belted at me from the crew. I was actually relieved when the train came, but only for about three seconds before Marth ran up to me and, clinging to my arm, whispered, "We board this train and we're never coming back."

I took a deep breath and entered the train. I would give it my all in the arena, and if I died, may it be for someone else.


	3. Chapter 3, Link

**CHAPTER 2, LINK**

My knees wouldn't stop banging together. So when I started to board the train, I nearly toppled over again. The District all thought I was already a weakling by how I had reacted when Zelda's name was called…I mustn't give them a reason to confirm those thoughts. I needed a Sponcer in the Games.

Zelda gently guided me down the halls, because I was so numb both in body and mind I couldn't really see where to go. She pushed me down into a chair and sat next to me.

"So…" She began. "Here we are."

"No going back." Ganondorf muttered. "I actually feel sorry for you, Link."

"_Kibos djoi._" Midna said, her orange eye wide.

"I'll win these Games." I managed to say. "I'll win these Games…and I'll get food for everyone. More than enough food. We'll never go hungry again."

"You'll choose the Wish?" Zelda asked.

"Wouldn't you?"

"The Capitol can decide what they grant or what they don't…I don't want to wish and then have them take it away along with my life."

I stared down at my boots for a long time. "I guess you're right." I whispered.

The train gave a lurch and then began to move. I watched outside as a huge crowd that had gathered to wish the train farewell began to move out of my line of sight as the train sped away. Goodbye, home. Goodbye, everyone and everything I had ever known…

I felt Midna pat my shoulder comfortingly. That gesture was as close as she would ever get to sympathetic, but to me, it was a huge encouragement. I managed to give her a small smile before Zelda scooted closer to me and wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me close. "Allies?" She whispered.

"Until we die." I whispered and hugged her back. "Never give up."

"Don't worry. I'll find you a nice Sponcer. And if they don't want to Sponcer you, I'll make 'em." Ganondorf punched his fist into his palm but smiled rather good-naturedly. "I know this is sort of cheesy and all, but I want one of you to win."

"Well, we have the complete Triforce plus a being from the Twilight Realm ." Zelda said, letting me go finally. "Courage. Wisdom. Power."

"And Power is going to get you a Sponcer." Ganondorf added. "Count on it."

"_Niiriko kresson dieo din._" Midna said, agreeing with him.

"Thanks, guys." I said before breaking down in nervous, terrified tears. So much for the Courage.

Zelda put her arm around me while Midna landed on my shoulder and patted my hair. Ganondorf sat on the other side of me and managed a sort of friendly punch that nearly broke my arm. Then he just stared at the floor.

We remained like that for a while, even after I stopped crying my eyes out. Only when did Corewell call us to the dining car did we move again.

All the Tributes and their friends were already seated along a huge table laden down with food and stuffing their faces. I had never seen so much in my entire life. There were three roast turkeys, but it didn't stop there. There were dishes I had never seen before, some of them odd colors. Corewell, who was already seated at the head of the table, motioned for us to sit down and dig in.

Going to the Hunger Games was worth it after eating just one bite of the turkey. I almost completely ignored my silverware as I dug into the feast. Many of the other Tributes had the same idea, and when I got a glance at Corewell's face, I nearly burst out laughing.

Only when I feared that if I took another bite I'd explode did I stop eating. After glancing down the line of Tributes and their companions, many of them looked like they felt the same way I did. Corewell then finally began to speak.

"Well, the journey to the Capitol will take about three days. Until then, claim a room and then get to know one another. Make allies. Find out each other's weaknesses. I'll leave it up to you." He stood up and walked out of the dining car. Almost instantly Lucario left the other way, accompanied by Trevor.

Then the air exploded as everyone began talking at once. I said to Zelda, Midna and Ganondorf, "Come on. We need to form a plan somewhere quiet."

Zelda nodded and got up from the table to bump into Snake as he was leaving the room. He faced her and one of his eyebrows shot up onto his forehead as he began to look her up and down. Ganondorf roughly pushed him aside and we exited as fast as we could.

"Ok, plan A, avoid Snake at all costs." I began.

"That would make everyone happier." Zelda agreed, finding four chairs along the wall and claiming one. "Besides, he's not my type."

It took me a minuet to realize what she was talking about, but when I did, I nearly blushed. I examined the floor and shuffled my boots in a circle as Ganondorf began with the plan.

"First of all, Midna and I will find a group to Sponcer you. We'll send you as much as we can during the first day or two, but if we run out of money or anything, you're on your own. We'll also try to figure out the other Tributes'' weaknesses. Now your part is rather simple: Stay alive and avoid Snake, killing only when absolutely necessary."

"That sounds like a good plan to me." I reasoned. "But we have no idea what the arena will look like, or what will be in it. What will the Cornucopia hold?"

"You're fast thinkers, right? That's also part of your role." Ganondorf said about ten seconds later. "We'll try to send you messages in the things we send you."

"Like you'll arrange stuff to give a outline of the arena?" Zelda asked.

"Sure."

"And give us something along with that to tell us who to take out first and things like that. Or if you can alert us to any danger."

"Sure thing."

"I have an idea." I said at last. "We'll try to project our image as being weak. When they come at us, we'll kill them instead. They won't know what hit them."

"You already did a good job of that earlier at the District." Ganondorf snickered. I shot him a murderous look. "But yes, that seems like a good plan."

"But what about-" I got quiet as another person from the dining car came by our plotting zone and froze for a second, unsure of what to do. Then he came over to us and said softly, "Hi. I'm Roy. Ike's friend."

I didn't say anything, just stared at him. Roy shifted his weight onto his right leg and looked uncomfortably at the floor. "I have to talk to you."

"What?" Ganondorf demanded.

"You know Marth? The blue haired kid?" Roy began. "It would kill Ike to see him dead. He tried to save him from the Reaping, but looked what happened. I want…I want you two to form an alliance with him and Ike."

"Why?" I asked curtly.

"Because you seem like a survivor." Roy stared straight into my eyes. "You've seen things that I can't even imagine. You'll have a chance in the arena, but Marth…"

"We'll form an alliance with him, but only until there are six Tributes left." Zelda said. "After that, he has to get far away from us."

Roy opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it and then nodded. "Thank you." He left to go back into the car.

"Poor them. I can't imagine volunteering for someone only to have them get picked a bit down the road." Zelda sighed. "But then again, I want to be allies with everyone, because we're all from the same District. It's terrible that the Capitol had rebuilt these Games."

I just nodded and glanced out the window, where it was beginning to get darker. I stood up and said, "Well, we'd better go find a place to sleep tonight. See if we can all get rooms close to each other."

We searched the closest car, but they were already claimed. So were the second and third cars. We ended up near the caboose and about as far away as you could get from the dining hall.

"I'll take that one, Midna can have that…Zelda, that can be yours…and Ganondorf can have that one." I said, pointing out each door in turn.

"I notice you put me as far as you can possibly get away from everything and everyone else." Ganondorf announced.

"Yeah, sorry. That's just how it goes." I shrugged, but a smug smile played on my lips. Ganondorf took a swing at me, but I rolled out of the way and ducked into my new room. "I'm going to take a shower."

The room was just big enough to hold a good sized bed, a dresser and a small bathroom. I turned on the water and was amazed to find that it was warm. In the District we all had to boil our own hot water, so this to me was paradise. I steamed up the entire bathroom so bad I had trouble seeing.

When I exited the bathroom with a towel around my waist, I noticed that my hero garments had been changed with soft black pants, undergarments, and a green shirt. Hoping that I would get my preferred clothes back later, I put the new ones on and then stepped outside my room to try to find the others.

Hoping that I would get my preferred clothes back later, I put the new ones on and then stepped outside my room to try to find the others. Instead, I ran into Marth.

"Roy told me you want to be allies." He said. "Do you really?"

"Well…" I began. "I didn't actually say…"

"So no?" Marth said. "I really wanted an alliance with Ike and someone else. You seem like the type that takes charge and leads warriors into battle."

"I'm anything but that." I admitted. "Tell you what… We won't necessarily be allies, but we won't kill each other either."

"Sounds good to me." Marth nodded. "But if you ever do want to be in my alliance, just tell me, Roy, Ike or Lyn."

"Ok." I said, watching him leave the car to probably go to a recreational room somewhere.

"Already forming alliances?"

I jumped and reached for my sword, which of course wasn't there. Standing against the back wall of the car was Wolf O'Donnell. He had his arms crossed across his chest and he was staring at me as if he were planning to kill me right then and there.

"Anything wrong with that?" I retorted.

"Oh, no. I've already formed an alliance myself." Wolf examined his claws intensely. "And we won't fall. Not until the final three, at any rate."

"Who are you with?" I asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know." Wolf smiled, showing me razor sharp teeth. "Until the Games, you will remain clueless. You will only know when you are about to die."

On that creepy note, he walked past me to get to the other cars, flicking his tail in my face as he went. I clenched my hands into fists and tried to picture who the heck would side with him. The first two people that crossed my mind were Fox and Snake. They seemed creepy enough. But then there was antisocial Lucario, who could be siding with anyone.

"What's wrong?"

Zelda came out of her room dressed in a knee-length black skirt and slightly frilly shirt, her hair combed out long and dripping behind her shoulders. She had obviously discovered the awesome showers too.

"Wolf is wrong, that's what." I said. "He was just standing there, making me paranoid! Who the heck would side with him?"

"I think Fox." Zelda said.

"He said he had another ally."

"I'd say either Snake or Lucario."

"That's what I was thinking."

"I think if we discover who had alliances with who we can possibly have a shot at these Games." Zelda said. "So…Wolf and Fox definitely. Me and you, possibly Ike and Marth too…That's really all the obvious alliances I know of."

"Pikachu doesn't seem like the type to side with Lucario." I thought. "So if he even has an alliance…who's it with?"

"I guess we'll just have to figure that out as time goes on." Zelda said after a brief pause. "Come on. I think we better get to know everyone just a little more."

So we headed down the cars, not bothering to wait for Ganondorf and Midna. When the sound of loud music filled our ears I knew I was right about some sort of rec. room. Zelda opened the door and we found most of the Tributes and their partners.

A woman about twenty or so walked up to us and said, "I'm Samus Aran. I've seen you around the District, but never much."

"Same here." I said. "Do you have any alliances?"

"I think that will be revealed soon." Samus smiled, but there was a hint of deceit and evil in her eyes.

"Don't be so obvious." Zelda hissed in my ear. I just barely heard her over the blaring music. "Get to know their personality and that will tell you a lot about who they close for an ally. Let's split up."

I watched as she went and sat next to Ash, who was talking to Pikachu and translating for Ness. I glanced around the room, trying to find someone who didn't look like they cared about the music or anything else in the world anymore. My gaze settled on a dark figure slumped in a corner.

The only thing I really knew about Shadow was that he kept to himself and never really spoke to anyone. He was a dedicated worker and never gave up; and swore loyalty to only a few people. I sat next to him on the floor and said, "So…what do you think about the train?"

Shadow didn't answer. He just stared at me like I was nuts. I probably was.

"I still can't believe I was picked for this." I sighed. "But you volunteered! That takes a lot of courage, I bet."

Shadow still didn't say anything. He was now staring at the floor like it would reveal the answers to surviving the Games.

"To tell you the truth, I'm sort of scared." I said in my best worried tone. "So would you want an alliance?"

Shadow then stood up and walked out of the car. I was left sitting in the corner looking like a dork and thinking I blew my chances already. But one thing stood out to me…maybe he and Lucario had an alliance already formed. They were antisocial and probably powerful, so why not? I stood up and began looking around for Zelda to tell her my prediction.

But before I could find her she found me. Her eyes said she found something important but the rest of her face was emotionless. "Come here, Link."

I followed her out into the hallway and she said so fast I could hardly understand her, "Ok, as far as I know Wolf's alliance is with Fox and Pikachu. That could pose a probablem, because I heard that Ash trains him day and night."

"Really." I muttered. "Any weaknesses that are apparent?"

"No…but he is sort of shy." Zelda paused. "Maybe he'll try to avoid everyone during the Games and only attack when attacked. It seems like everyone's going for that tactic."

"Well, we'll learn who our real enemies are once we being training ourselves." I answered.


	4. Chapter 4, Lucario

_** CHAPTER 3, LUCARIO**_

After what seemed like three years instead of three days we arrived at the Capitol. All the Tributes and their accompaniments exited the train and stood in the bright sunlight, glancing around like they had never seen the sun. I could pick out at least two hundred different auras in the station alone, each one with a different color and air about it. This was going to be a long week of training. There were already so many people…

"You ok, Lucario?" Trevor asked, standing beside me.

"_I'm fine._" I responded, turning as a huge group of people bearing cameras and microphones rushed towards the Tributes all gathered under a pavilion. Trevor and I began to stray away, but a reporter found us anyway.

"So what are your thoughts on the Capitol?" The reporter demanded, sticking a microphone in my face.

"_My thoughts? My thoughts are this place is crowded, annoying, and homes many pushy reporters that will never leave me alone._" I calmly walked away from the reporter, who was glaring after me. Trevor caught up to me after the reporter squeezed some answers out of him and said, "That wasn't very wise. The Capitol doesn't like to deal with Tributes like you. They'll make your stay in the arena ten times worse if you keep this up, you know."

"_I know. But has anyone ever spoken up against this government_?"

Trevor didn't have an answer for me, but I could sense his emotions. Anger, fear, hate…and…was that jealousy? Jealous that the Capitol never has to worry about the Hunger Games, jealous that they always get what they need, jealous that the world wasn't like that?

I don't blame him for thinking like that at all.

Corewell was suddenly herding us all inside a huge building that had to be more than fifty stories tall. Over a hundred, maybe. The emotions ran strong here, like too much perfume. Just standing in the doorway was almost unbearable. Entering further into the room was torture.

The emotions hit me like a wave.

Anger. Fear. Hate. Remorse. Sadness. Loss. Jealousy. Sorrow. Worry. Horror. Love. Distrust. Even a small amount of happiness.

I staggered backwards and Trevor just barely managed to catch me before I hit the cold marble floor. "_The people that have been here before us…_" I whispered. "_…their emotions are so strong; like they're right next to me._"

"Remember Katniss Everdeen?" Trevor whispered back. "She was here, in this very room not too long ago."

Do I remember? The real question was: Could I forget?

Katniss had married Peeta and had two kids, a boy and a girl. She had overthrown the Capitol and the Hunger Games had ceased to exist…for about a year. Then the president died of unnatural causes, raising suspicion among the people. A month later, a new president was elected. That president overthrew the government and brought back the Hunger Games, killing and destroying the people of all Districts and the Districts themselves. Katniss is dead. Peeta is dead. Their kids are dead. No one survived. The government then developed a way to bring beings from different worlds to their own. They reconstructed a District, but only one. The Capitol had become independent, and only requested that the inhabitants in the District would make weapons…but what for? We never found out.

"_What about her?_" I asked warily.

"She's the cause of most of those emotions." Trevor said, hauling me back on my feet. "Those Games were something you just never forget."

Corewell lead us down a series of halls until we reached a massive dining hall, already laden with a huge variety of food. Corewell let us eat as much as we desired and then he began with instructions.

"An Avox will lead you to your rooms. You have the remainder of today as free time to explore the tower and know each other better. And tonight, try to rest as much as you can, because training starts tomorrow!"

There are no more ceremonies celebrating the tributes to every Hunger Games. The Capitol thought it could be used to bring up a rebellion again and besides, many of us know each other anyway. I follow a small Avox girl with white hair to the fifth floor, where she showed me my room. Trevor followed her to his while I began to get situated.

Even here, the emotions ran strong. I was able to block most of them out during the night, but now they returned with a vigor that nearly forced me to my knees. How was I suppost to survive a week of this before the real challenge? Before the arena?

Before I could figure that out, darkness overcame me and sleep took me over.

** FIVE DAYS LATER**…

The training sessions have begun, and many of the Tributes were choosing a station and working there. There wasn't one station that wasn't occupied, but that was ok with me. Trevor along with the other accompaniments were somewhere else, probably doing interviews or trying to get Sponcers for us. I finally figured out how to block out the emotions from my head, but it wasn't easy. I knew by tonight I would be exhausted, both mentally and physically from the training.

A trainer beckoned me from over in a corner. He was old, with snow white hair and eyes that had seen a lot in his life. He was wearing a Peacekeeper uniform, but to me he looked anything but a Peacekeeper. His aura was calm and kind. I walked over to him.

"What's your name?" He asked in a quiet voice.

"_I'm Lucario._" I responded, taking notice of the Tribute that was sitting next to him for the first time. Fox.

"You have natural power?" The old non-Peacekeeper asked.

"_I can control psychic power._" I said. "_If that's what you mean._"

"Yes, perfect. I can help you channel your energy to bring you what you need in the arena." The man said. "Like bringing food or building shelter."

"_I can already do that._" I said, emotionless.

"Really?" The man was impressed. "Then please, construct that tent."

I turned to see a tent that was collapsed next to Fox. I held my hand out in front of me and willed it to assemble itself. It shuddered and floated a few inches off the ground, but nothing else.

"The arena won't let you get away that easily." The man said, a twinkle in his eyes. "You must focus like you've never focused before."

"_How?_" I asked.

"Empty your mind of any emotion, of any thought." He began. "Just will the tent to build itself. Be the tent. I think you've been through this before."

I have, a long time ago when I was just learning to use my powers. But back then it was easy. Now…probably not so much. I would have to put down the mental barriers that keep the emotions in the place from overwhelming me. I don't know if I could handle that. But I have to prove to the old man and Fox that I'm stronger than I look. I prepare myself by taking a deep breath and then I face the tent again.

I'm hit by the emotions like someone physically punched me. But I focus on the tent and will it to rise and assemble itself. I have to prove to them…

There's something like a half memory pricking at my consciousness…a memory from a while ago…

_ "The Hunger Games have changed!" A young man in a Peacekeeper's uniform declared. His eyes were cold and emotionless as he stared into a group of people. The people of Panem before they were all wiped out. I recognized their faces and eyes from past Hunger Game interviews and the Games themselves. "And you…" The Peacekeeper continued in an evil voice. "…are no longer needed."_

_ That was how the extermination started. That was how the mass genocide began. That was how the enslaving of whole different worlds began. That was how_…

"Lucario!"

My eyes snapped open and I realized that Trevor was standing over me, a concerned look on his face. I sat up and was hit with a terrible migraine, forcing me to fall backwards onto the cold training floor again. Trevor caught my head before it could strike the marble and muttered, "It's the emotions, isn't it?"

"_Memories too._" I hissed. "_The genocide started here._"

By now a few of the Capitol's medics had gathered around us but Trevor waved them away. He helped me to my feet and said to them, "I'll bring him back to his room. He'll train later."

We walked past many of the Tributes and their accompaniment, most of them giving me a look as if to say, 'easy out'. When we finally reached the door to my room my head was spinning with bits of long ago memories and emotions.

"Just give me a call if you need anything." Trevor said, heading back to the elevator. I collapsed onto my bed and blacked out again.

** THE NEXT MORNING**…

The interviews were today. I just realized this after training vigorously at some of the stations for a few hours. The trainers had been impressed with my skill and dismissed what happened yesterday like it never even happened. I was pretty confident that I'd get a good score.

"Interviews start in forty-five minuets!" Corewell screamed over the ruckus. "You have half an hour to get ready! Makeup crews are here if you need them!"

I returned to my room and sat on the edge of my bed; letting the emotions weave a picture for me. They seemed less intense today, but the picture was of loss and sadness. I eventually took the elevator up to the roof and looked out over the Capitol.

"So you're Lucario? Hi, I'm Sonic."

I spun around to see the blue hedgehog that had been chosen at the Reapings. He was sitting on the edge of the building with a huge grin on his face, like he was actually excited about the Games. He must have sensed I thought he was nuts, so he said, "Oh, there's a force field thing here, so you can't jump off and commit suicide."

"_The Capitol thought of everything._" I said, glancing towards the sunset. Who knows how many I'd see after this one.

"Know anything about the arena?"

"_No._"

"Someone told me to avoid the water. But I can't swim, so that's ok with me." Sonic looked straight down towards the sidewalk and waved to some tiny figure. "I hope it's not made mostly of water…"

I filed that little piece of information away for later. Sonic can't swim. Could come in handy…if I could somehow get him close enough to it and drown him. Easier said than done. I looked down at the rooftop and kicked a small stone away.

"Have any alliances yet?" Sonic asked.

"_No._"

"You might need it. I heard Snake's a paid assassin."

That may not be far from the truth…

"_Do you have an alliance?_" I asked, trying to get as much information as I possibly could without giving him the hint that I was plotting to kill him as soon as I can in the arena. Sonic still hadn't picked up on that fact, but there was still a chance.

"Nah. Everyone here's too serious and hates other people. No offence."

I turned and headed back to the door to go back inside, wishing silently inside my head that the force field would give out and he'd plummet to his death before I'd kill him myself.


	5. Chapter 5, Wolf

_**CHAPTER 4, WOLF**_

The interviews took place in a huge room, with twelve chairs in a semicircle. Falco, along with Krystal were in a different room, going through a similar interview. The Capitol would get both sides of the story.

The president of Panem, Harlem, came to the podium to ask the questions personally. He was a balding man in his late fifties, with a hard look in his eye. He never smiled. That was fine with me as long as I didn't have to either.

I was at the beginning of the half circle of chairs, so he turned to me first. "So, Wolf, how's life in the Capitol so far?"

I folded my hands behind my head and leaned back. "Pretty good. Very unlike the District."

"Right, so I've heard." The president said. "So you've prepared yourself to the best of your knowledge for the Games?"

"I believe myself ready." I closed my eyes to appear calm, cool and relaxed. That was the image I wanted to get across. But what the president said angered me deeply. _'So I've heard'_? Does he even know what goes on outside the Capitol? "Bring on your worst."

"When you were picked for the Games, what were your first thoughts?"

"I just shrugged and accepted the fact that I was going." I said after a second's hesitation. "No one was going to take my place. And even if they did, I'd just be chosen again."

Even with my eyes closed, I could feel Ike's shooting daggers at me.

"Do you think you're going to win?" Harlem asked.

"I stand a good chance." I replied. "I have as much chance as anyone."

He continued asking questions, but I was now in my thoughts; planning on what to do in the arena. But my plan would only work if there was a certain type of setup.

The buzzer rang, signaling that my three minuets were up. I opened my eyes and watched Fox answer the next bout of questions. From the way he answered…we were going to make a good alliance. We had already gotten off on a wary step to not be hostile towards each other.

Right. So I had my first ally. If I make more that could pose a probablem if we're the last group standing. But the more, the merrier. Decisions must be made during the question and answer game played by the Capitol.

As more Tributes answered, I began either singling them out as possible allies or just being in the way.

Ike could be a strong addition, but wherever he went he was always flanked by Marth, who didn't look as strong. But if I could recruit a two-man-team…who knows what could happen. We'd stand a huge chance. Apparently Ike possessed amazing strength.

The kid that had fainted at the Reaping, Link, wasn't going to join my alliance. He was shifty, fidgety and nervous. Those traits would get him killed as soon as possible. No, he would just be a burden to my team. But his girlfriend…Zelda…she possessed promise. She had power.

Pikachu was, as far as I could tell, just plain cute and cuddly. He would definitely get all the young Sponcers. He couldn't speak English either, so Lucario translated from a bunch of 'Pika, pika, pika, pi' to 'No, Harlem, I need no weapons to win these Games.' Ooh, cute AND powerful.

But then there was Lucario, who barely answered Harlem's questions with little more than yes or no. He was on guard, that much was apparent. Apparently his little episode from a few days ago set him on edge. He was psychic too. So if he joined my team we could search out and kill every Tribute one by one. I would have to consider him with Fox.

Samus Aran was dressed in a tight black suit that really showed how slender she really was. She had the body of a experienced killer, no mistaking that. Her eyes showed her hostility and secrets towards every one of us. She was cold and precise about answering the questions. She never smiled. She was all business.

And then there was practically her male clone, Snake. He was just as cold as she was, with hostility brimming in his voice. It was apparent that they had already formed an alliance. If there was one group to watch out for, I guessed it was them. Besides, Snake's suit could hold a ton of weapons.

Sonic was probably the only one actually enjoying the interview. He actually succeeded in getting Harlem to laugh, which was no easy task. But besides his comedy routine, I saw no specific power about him. Should be easy to take down.

Shadow was very much like Lucario, but he answered only a few of the many questions fired at him from Harlem. I hadn't seen much of him at training, but Fox had told me he mostly kept to himself and his accompaniment, whatever her name was. As far as I knew, he had no alliances and I planed to change that.

After Shadow, that concluded the interview. The people back in the darkened room exploded in applause while we filed off stage to go back to our rooms for the night. Tomorrow private training would start and our scores will be accessible to the people of Panem. Here's where I blow the crowd away.

Sleep did not come easily that night. I tossed and turned so much I nearly fell out of the bed and woke up gasping for air because the sheets were wrapped around my neck. After that scare, I decided I just needed fresh air and headed to the elevator.

Out there, I could see the stars glimmering in the sky, like they were trying to warn me that I would die in the arena and never see them again. I sat on some cold steps and tried to visualize myself out in space again, where I truly belonged, chasing Fox all over the universe.

"So what exacally is on your mind, Wolf?"

I nearly killed myself as I scrambled to my feet and spun around. Once I caught sight of Samus I let my guard down slightly and hissed, "Warn me you're here before you do that again."

Samus nodded and stared out beyond the Capitol, probably towards our old home. "So the final days of training begin tomorrow."

"Yeah." I said, not sure of where she was going with this.

"I just have to warn you," Samus paused for a second and then turned her blue stare towards me. "Some of the Tributes here aren't who you think they are. Some of them are more deadly than they look."

"I'm going to guess you, then." I snickered. "Everyone always underestimates the women…and then they rise to the top so unexpectedly."

"That's not what I mean."

"I know, I'm just messing with you."

"You know Pikachu?"

"Well, yeah. The cute little adorable mouse Pokémon thing? Hard to miss."

"Do not underestimate him. I heard earlier a Peacekeeper just brushed by him and his heart stopped just from that."

I tried to picture Pikachu as a cold blooded killer but just couldn't. He seemed too cute for that, but after the interviews…

"Right." I said at last. "Well, thanks, Samus."

She turned and headed back towards the elevator.

** THE NEXT MORNING**…

The Peacekeeper I was training with was impressed with my skill on my feet and with my blaster. I hit every dummy, no matter how small or moving at any speed. I had ninja-quick reflexes and never hesitated to pull the trigger if I heard something behind me. I had taken out every dummy in the room in about ten seconds.

"I'll tell you this now so it doesn't come as a shock later." The Peacekeeper began. "Expect a tremendously high score."

"I was expecting it anyway." I said, leaving the room to see if there was something else I could dominate at.

I eventually found myself in a survival class taught by a man dressed in camouflage. He taught me how to make a fire and I learned quickly. I also learned to tie knots and trap animals to eat later on.

Confident that I had passed that class also, I turned to one that would explain different weapons. Finding this class to easy and passing almost right away, I began to wonder from door to door, trying to find something that would pose a challenge. So far, there were none. I was on a roll.

A bit later the training closed and the Tributes gathered around to see their scores.

Ike ended up with a ten. He would be a threat.

Marth had a seven, which was neither good or bad.

Link got a three. I admit that I was laughing so hard I could barely stand. But his partner, Zelda, got an impressive nine.

Lucario had an eleven. Yep, definitely recruiting him.

Pikachu had a twelve. He sure wasn't going down without a fight.

I crossed my fingers as my name popped up with my score…a twelve! Ha! Fox, we're winning this!

Along with my twelve, Fox raked in a ten. We were going to be hard to beat.

Snake had an eleven, along with Samus. They too were going to be tough.

Sonic somehow managed to get a ten. How? I have no idea. He seemed harmless enough, but he must possess some sort of skill…

But I must say, if I was shocked from Sonic's score, then Shadow's scared me. He claimed a twelve.

"Any idea how those two managed that?" Fox whispered to me.

"No clue. Shadow doesn't talk to anyone and Sonic just seems like a joker." I whispered back. "We should watch out for them in the arena, though."

"Really." Fox said sarcastically.

With the day ending on that happy note, we turned in for the night to await the Games that would begin in the morning. Sleep came to me easily, but it was filled with horrible thoughts about what would happen. I saw Pikachu as he viciously murdered my allies, and then finally me myself. But even though I knew I was dead, I saw the slaughter continue. Snake managed to kill him, but he came back as a mutt and ripped him to shreds. Sonic tried to save Samus, but Pikachu got at them both and left them to die. There was no way that that would happen…there was no way…

I awoke by a nudge from an Avox who was standing beside my bed. She had wide brown eyes that matched her hair and she had a worried expression on her face.

"Nothing…just a dream." I smiled at her sadly. "Is it time?"

She nodded and I dragged myself out of bed. She handed me the Game's uniform and motioned for me to get changed into it. The dress for this year was a dark green. There must be a forest somewhere. Sounds good to me. The fabric was tough and seemingly waterproof, and stretchy. It fit perfectly, which I assumed was an added bonus. I wondered what the arena could possibly hold.

Time to find out. The Capitols' doctors injected a tracker into my arm so they would know where I was throughout the entire Games. Then I was ushered into a glass pipe thing that I knew would raise me to the surface of the arena…and the Hunger Games would begin.

I took a deep breath and thought to myself: Cornucopia. Get to it. Get supplies. Find Fox. Easy as pie.

The platform began to rise and I found myself in the middle of a scorching desert, with the golden Cornucopia nearly blinding me in the light. So begins the Games…


	6. Chapter 6, Snake

_** CHAPTER 4, SNAKE**_

If the arena was a desert, then why was I wearing green? Was it so we could pose as cacti and no one would see us? Hopefully not. If it was, then the Capitol must be starved for entertainment. I glanced around the glass tube I was still in to see Wolf nearby and glancing towards me. I avoided his gaze and squinted at the Cornucopia, which looked like it was laden with as much supplies as it could possibly hold.

All types of weapons. Backpacks. Food. This was going to be great.

The glass slid away and I darted towards the Cornucopia…but I wasn't the first one to it. More like the third.

"Hasta la Vista!" Sonic grabbed as much as he could carry and darted off again in a blur.

Oh. So that's why he got such a high ranking during training. This just makes everything better. Shadow finished raiding the Cornucopia and darted off towards a large structure in the distance. They must be going for distance over killing everyone at the beginning. I was all for that plan, as long as I wasn't the one getting killed.

I lifted a grenade launcher from the Cornucopia and checked the ammo hastily as others drew closer to me. Five shots. It would have to do. I grabbed a backpack and began sprinting in a random direction. Behind me I could hear a fight break out and a loud scream. I risked glancing back to see Samus holding a sword over Link's head, looking like she was about to bring it down at any second.

"Samus! He's not worth it! He'll die in about five minuets out here anyway!" I shouted. I thought he deserved at least a chance. Poor kid, the lowest score in about a decade…

Samus dropped the sword next to him and scrambled after me, lifting a backpack over her right shoulder as well. We ran towards the nearest thing we could find, a very long stretch of cliff extending for at least a good part of a mile. A small, rocky bridge connected the side we were on to the other. The cliff could be…who knows how deep? But I took my chances anyway.

The bridge began to sway side to side as I took my first steps on it, but I soon got the hang of it. The bridge matched the darkness below, so it was hard to see where my foot went without risking my life. After a few more steps Samus grabbed my arm and pulled me back. I nearly fell and the bridge began to sway. That's when I saw it.

The bridge turned sharply to the left. If Samus hadn't seen that, I would have been dead by now. We carefully navigated the rest of the bridge together; sometimes it just took a sharp turn, trying to throw us off. But we made it safely to the other side.

"Where do you think we are?" I finally asked, glancing around the dense group of trees we were now standing in front of. "What kind of arena is this? There's desert over there, and now a vast oasis of a forest."

"We'll just have to find out soon. Here, check to see what's in the packs." Samus opened hers and began sorting through it. After checking to make sure that no one had followed us along the bridge, I joined in.

There was a pair of red sunglasses, but I had no idea what those were for. I started a 'Useless' pile and put them there. Next was a water bottle, but no water. I put that in a pile I mentally labeled, 'Useless now, life-saving later'. Then there was a tightly wrapped sleeping bag that I put that next to the water bottle. There was also a package of dried fruit and meat, a long hunting knife in a leather sheath, some flint stones and a small white bottle that was filled with water purifier. There was also a small jar of what I guessed to be medicine.

"Looks like we got similar packs." Samus said, glancing at my stash. "Any idea what the glasses are for?"

"Put them on and we'll see." I answered. Samus put them on and glanced around. "My suspicions are correct. They make you look hot."

Samus gave me a murderous glare I ignored. Instead, I began to pack up again. I glanced toward where the Cornucopia would be, but I could make out no one around there anymore. The Games had officially begun.

"Why don't we explore this forest and see what we can find." Samus suggested, holding her hunting knife in her hand. "We're already sort of camouflaged, and we have weapons."

"Sounds good to me. But you have to promise me one thing." I said.

"What's that?"

"We kill on sight."

"…fine."

"This is the Hunger Games. There can only be one winner, you know." I said. "And until there are only the two of us left, we stick together."

"Fine." Samus said, a bit louder this time. She adjusted her new sunglasses.

We began to walk into the forest, which was getting steadily darker and darker the further we went in. I nearly tripped over a log twice while Samus didn't seem to have trouble seeing at all.

"Can you just naturally see in the dark?" I demanded when I twisted my ankle badly.

"What do you mean?" Samus took off the glasses and I saw her eyes widen in the dim light. "Snake…the glasses let us see in the dark." She said quietly. "Put yours on, before you kill yourself by tripping over something deadly."

Once the glasses were on, it was like day in the forest, only with a tinge of red. I could make out every fallen log, every tree, every nook and cranny everywhere.

"We should find a place to call our own for a while. Maybe up in a tree?" Samus glanced up into one of the tall trees, but the lowest limbs were at least twenty feet away. But who knows what would happen if we just bunk down on the forest's floor. Who knows what could roam through here during the night. Who knows…

"Well, until then…I'm going to do some hunting." I lifted my grenade launcher over my shoulder. "And not especially for squirrels. A bit bigger game…say…foxes and wolves."

Samus gave me a worried look and shook her head. "Well…the sooner this is over, the better. Just make it quick when you kill them. I'll be here, trying to make a place to sleep."

I nodded and began to head back the way we had entered the forest. When I was practically sitting on the end of the rocky bridge, I began to glance around.

The Cornucopia was placed in the middle of a desert; the middle of the arena. We were away from the desert and in a whole different climate. I began to sketch what I thought the arena looked like in the dirt. What I had resembled a square with one line missing to be replaced by a half circle. That would be where we were. But…what was that huge thing in the distance, almost directly across from me? A volcano? What exacally was the layout of this arena?

I glanced around the forest area. If there was a place to find water, this was it. These trees were watered by something, and I intended to find that something, sooner or later.

There was a scream…silence…then a cannonshot…Someone just died…but where? Another cannonshot. That scream seemed to echo around the entire arena, making it hard to pinpoint it. That wasn't Samus, was it? "No, Snake, relax!" I growled to myself. "She wouldn't scream like that. She wouldn't even make a sound. She'd kill her attacker before they even had a chance to kill her."

I waited by the bridge for a long time, until the sun began to set pink in the sky. Then I got up, put the red sunglasses back on, and began to turn to head back to Samus. That was when I heard a shout, seeming to come a long ways off.

It sounded like someone had figured out the layout of the arena. Good for them…but why were they yelling it out to everyone? Some people were either too scared to kill and wanted to help others as much as they can while other people kill without a second glance. I classified myself as number two.

I eventually found Samus back a good way in the forest, near a small spring. She was busy purifying water and she had a good camp set up. We could survive for a long time out here.

"Two died." I announced. "Don't know who, though. We'll find out soon enough."

"But if we want to know we'd have to go out to open sky. The trees are too thick out here." She said. "But before we do that, isn't this a great camp? I can't believe I found this water back here."

It was a little convenient, but I let that pass me by. "Hand me a bottle, will you?"

Samus handed me my water bottle and I took a long drink from it…only to spit it back out nearly instantly.

"Samus! This is _saltwater!_" I choked. "How could you overlook that?"

"It's a small spring in the middle of a forest! There's no way it's salty!" But after she took a sip, her expression changed to shock and disgust. "How is there saltwater back here?"

"Maybe there's a ocean somewhere." I suggested. "This arena seems to suppost multiple climates."

"That sounds about right." Samus agreed, emptying the bottles back into the spring. "Come on. It's getting dark out. The Capitol'll show who died."

We walked to the edge of the bridge and stood there, glancing up at the sky above the Cornucopia. Soon the Capitol's logo burst across the sky, accompanied by upbeat music. Then the face of the dead crossed the sky and I couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for the second kid. He was so young too. A shame, really. But one thing's for sure, his ally would be out for revenge.


	7. Chapter 7, Shadow

_** CHAPTER 5, SHADOW**_

All I had for a weapon was a good sized bronze sword. All I had for food was a small packet of dried meat. All I had for water was a small, empty bottle with a container of purifier inside. It would have to do.

After I had grabbed what I could at the Cornucopia I had run towards what looked like a volcano jutting up into the sky. Hopefully that would give me a good view of the arena and a place to rest. The desert was very hot and dry, already sapping me of my strength. I reached a wall that divided the desert from the volcano: A huge pit full of red-hot coals. Only a very narrow bridge connected solid ground to solid ground. A risk I had to take.

The bridge moved as I slowly made my way across it… each step could cause me to fall and burn to death. Focusing on the opposite side of the land, I eventually made it.

Now I was facing what looked like a rocky cliff. It extended who knows how high into the air….but at the top…there was a ledge. It would give me the view I needed to make out what to do next. I began to climb.

It was very hot here too, but not as scorching as the desert. After climbing a good distance I sat down on what looked like a large lavarock to catch my breath. My throat was already parched and I knew after scaling the side of the mountain I would need to find water as soon as possible. Until then…I would just have to wait.

Something slammed into my back and I fell about ten feet down the mountain, rock cutting into my flesh. I managed to stand up, only to get blasted down again. My head hit a hard rock and the world burst out in different shades of orange and yellow. But that still didn't keep me from standing again and keeping an iron grip on my sword. The meat and water bottle were nowhere in sight. I stared at my attacker as he walked calmly towards me, charging some sort of pure energy ball.

"_I could kill you right here._" Lucario said calmly. "_But, quite honestly, I believe you and I are the only ones without a truce._"

"I plan to keep it that way." I hissed, raising my sword and running at him. I was obviously faster than he thought, because the look of surprise was unmistakable. He managed to deflect my blade with more psychic energy but the hilt struck him just under his left eye. He gave a short shout of surprise and then punched me away. I regained my balance and came at him again, cutting into his arm. Lucario gave a cry of pain and then lunged for me again, throwing me against another large rock and squeezing the air out of my lungs. I struggled to breathe as he forced his foot down on my chest.

"_I could kill you._" He hissed again. His left eye was already beginning to swell. "_I could…and probably should…kill you right here, right now. So you won't be a probablem in the future._"

I could barely hear a word he was saying because the only thing my body was paying attention to was the fact that I couldn't breathe. I gripped the sword again in the last of my dying strength and tried to bring it around to cut Lucario's foot off. Sadly, he saw what I planned to do and ripped the sword from my grasp and aimed it at my face. I grasped at his ankle, but I couldn't find the strength to grip it. The world was turning dark…then extremely bright…then dark again…I became vaguely aware of the pitiful gasps I was making at an attempt to live. Lucario didn't soften at this and if possible, pressed down harder on me, driving what little air I had left out of my lungs. I was accepting the fact that I was dying when there was a loud shout, the clang of my sword beside me, and then I could breathe again.

I lay there for at least thirty seconds drawing in huge lungful of air after another and coughing them out. My vision returned to normal and I struggled to my feet to see Marth nearby nudging an unconscious Lucario. Ike was sitting on a rock and sharpening his sword like nothing had even happened.

"Should I kill him?" Marth asked nervously. "Ike? What happens then…if I do kill him?"

"Then we're one step closer to getting out of here." Ike said. "I mean, _you're_ getting out of here."

"Why did you save me?" I asked, retrieving my sword.

"Marth did it." Ike said. "You owe him. He saw you two fighting and couldn't just stand there and watch you die."

"Yeah, and besides…we could use more allies." Marth said hopefully, glancing at me. "Oh, here's your stuff." He handed me back my water bottle and packet of meat.

"I owe you my life, I know that." I said. "But I don't work well with others. But If I see that you're in trouble, I'll be there for you like you were for me. When I see you in other parts of the arena, I won't kill, point you out to others, or harm you in any way. If you're short on supplies, I'll help you. But only if you do the same."

"Deal." Marth said happily. "And no turning us over to other groups."

"I swear it."

"Now what about Lucario?" Ike asked, motioning with his sword. "Should we kill him or what?"

"I don't want to kill anyone." Marth muttered sadly. "I'm just focusing on surviving at the moment."

That was when Lucario sprung to his feet and threw a sphere of energy at me. It hit because I was unprepared for the attack, and I was paralyzed on the ground, unable to do anything. Only able to watch as Lucario grabbed my sword and propelled it at Marth. He managed to block it, only to have Lucario begin a more devastating attack at him. Ike was now on the scene, keeping Lucario at bay while Marth and I recovered from the attacks. I could move my arms and feeling was creeping back into my legs. I shakily stood and gripped my sword, coming at Lucario as he fought Ike.

With a loud battle cry, Marth took another swipe at Lucario's head. He managed to duck, but not before the blade caught his cheek, ripping a long gash in it. Lucario sunk to the ground, where we stopped our attacks and watched as his hands became bright red with blood.

"Lucario, you brought this upon yourself." Ike said emotionlessly. "I should have known that you were someone to take care of as soon as possible."

Lucario slammed a spike-adorned fist into Ike's stomach. Ike stumbled backwards, taken by surprise at the attack. That pause bought Lucario the time he needed to get back onto his feet and launch another sphere of energy, this time at Marth.

Marth's head snapped backwards and he hit the ground with a crunch. Ike was at his side in an instant, leaving me to deal with Lucario.

"_Do you honestly think you can kill me?_" Lucario smirked. Blood was flowing freely from the gashes in his arm and cheek and his left eye was swollen shut. "_I bet you've never killed anyone before._"

"Would you want to bet?" I hissed before I shoved the sword through his chest. A quick death. He shouldn't have felt a thing. A cannonshot rang out.

I joined Ike by Marth's side. Ike was pale and was clutching Marth's hand like it was a lifeline, keeping him here on Panem. Tears filled his eyes as he watched his young friend die.

"Ike…?" Marth gasped. "Ike…Ike… don't leave me…"

"I won't. I swear, I won't." Ike whispered softly. "You're going to be ok. I swear. Just relax and we'll get you help soon."

"Ike…you gotta win the Games." Marth coughed up blood, staining his Game suit dark red. "Win the Games…Ike…Games…"

"Marth, no, stay with me! Stay with me! MARTH! NO!"

But it was too late. Marth breathed his last. A cannonshot echoed throughout the arena.

Ike let go of Marth's hand and slammed both his fists into the lavarock, desperately trying to distract himself from the pain of losing his friend. "No…no…Marth…" He sobbed. "No…Why? Why did this have to happen?"

"Nothing can reverse it." I whispered. "Nothing can reverse death."

"I'm winning these Games for him. I have to." Ike's face was a mask of anger. "If you want to live until the final two, you'd better get out of here."

I nodded. "I'll still be your ally." And I began hiking up the side of the mountain again.

I watched as the Capitol hovercraft picked up both Lucario and Marth's bodies and flew them away. I watched as Ike slowly left the mountainside to go somewhere in peace. I watched as the sky slowly turned pink from the setting sun. It was then that I reached the top.

The arena was huge. From my lookout perch, it looked much like a four-leaf clover. One leaf for the volcanic area, one for a frozen tundra, one for an ocean with a small island in the middle of it, and one for a dense forest. The desert in the middle of the arena was just the starting point and you'd have to take your chances in the tough climates. I noticed that a huge wall was built to separate the tundra and ocean from the desert…possibly keeping the cold and water inside the respective climates.

So this is it. Survival of the fittest.

Marth wouldn't have stood a chance in the first place. Perhaps it was good that he passed so quickly…but now Ike's alone and without someone to watch his back. But he _is_ Ike, so he stands a great chance.

If only I knew what would happen next…


	8. Chapter 8, Ike

_** CHAPTER 6, IKE**_

I didn't stop walking until I found myself beside a huge metal wall. Darkness was closing over the arena, but I knew I wouldn't get any sleep tonight. Not after what happened. Not after watching my friend die. I stared at my reflection in the metal to see blood that wasn't mine staining my face and clothes. Some of it was Marth's.

I knew I couldn't let him down by failing. If I won the Games, it'd be for him. I'd find a way to get even with the Capitol. I'll singlehandedly overthrow the government.

Why didn't I stop him when he saw Lucario and Shadow fighting? In one move I could have saved him from getting caught up in a battle not meant for him. But why didn't I? The Capitol began relaying the deaths of today, but I didn't even glance up.

There was the sound of someone shuffling through sand behind me. In the reflective wall, I saw a small yellow figure who could only be one person…

"Lucario's dead, Pikachu." I hissed. "Along with Marth."

"Pika. Pika Pi." Pikachu said. "Pi."

I gripped my sword and spun around to face him. "I'm going to kill you if you don't leave." I growled. "So either go or face me."

Pikachu crouched down and glared at me with his dark eyes. Electricity crackled around his head. "Pika." He growled back.

I swung my sword at him, but he was too quick. He sent a lightning bolt at me, catching my arm and throwing me backwards into the metal wall, where another harsh shock propelled me back onto the desert sand. So the wall was full of electricity too…

Pikachu charged at me again, but this time I was ready. I threw my sword into the air and leapt up to grab it, coming down fast and landing the flat of my sword on Pikachu's arm.

"PIKAAA!" Pikachu wailed, throwing more lightning bolts in my direction. I managed to avoid most of them, but one caught me and sent me crashing to the sand again. I coughed sand out of my mouth and was about to stand again when another shock kept me down. Another. And another. Pikachu knew he was winning.

Just as I was going to give up to unconsciousness a cannonshot rang out. Pikachu stopped his attacks and I slowly opened my eyes to see him staring towards the forest, which could be seen from where we were. After sending a final shock into my arm, he scurried off.

I lay at the base of the electric wall, wondering why Pikachu had disappeared like that. I slowly and painfully struggled to my feet and glanced towards where he had run off.

Did Pikachu have allies? Or did he just expect more challenging opponents? Either way, I was spared and would live another day to win the Games. I found a small stairway leading to the top of the wall, and after a quick check to see if the stairs were also electrified, (They weren't) I began to climb.

The sight at the top was astounding. I was standing at the top of an electrified dam that held in a small ocean with a tiny island in the middle of it. The island was covered in trees and…was that a _second_ Cornucopia? It was hard to tell, but I needed to know. I wasn't able to get anything besides my sword from the beginning of the Games.

I dived into the water to be greeted by salt, coldness and a small tingle of electricity. I swam as fast as I could, desperate to reach the island before the Capitol turned on the electricity to full power or something equally painful.

I reached the island and pulled myself into the beach, absolutely exhausted from the day. But my suspicions had been correct. There was a second Cornucopia further up the beach.

As I reached it, something didn't seem quite right. There was an odd emptiness about it…like someone had already reached it before me…

As I picked through the rest of the supplies, I realized that about all the food was gone along with water bottles and purifier. There were guns, but all the ammo was taken out of them and they were now just as useful as clubs. I found a tiny package of dried meat and wolfed it as fast as I could. Upon further investigation I found a water bottle that was half full. I drained it, not caring if it was purified or not.

Then came the issue of finding the inhabitant…or inhabitants…of the island and disposing of them. I told myself I would kill on sight, to avenge Marth's death. I lifted my sword over my shoulder and entered the small grove of trees.

There was no obvious signs that someone had been here. They could have quite possibly picked through the Cornucopia and then just left. But something told me that there was someone else with me on this island…I just had to find out who.

After carefully and silently creeping through a good portion of the woods I came to a halt. I was almost certain I had heard something…

A song. Someone was singing. I began to rush towards the sound to begin to hear more people join in. A chorus of a sad, sad song sung a long time ago, back in the days of Katniss Everdeen…

_ Deep in the meadow, under the willow_

_ A bed of grass, a soft green pillow_

_ Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes_

_ And when again they open, the sun will rise._

_ Here it's safe, here it's warm_

_ Here the daisies guard you from every harm_

_ Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrows bring them true_

_ Here is the place where I love you._

_ Deep in the meadow, hidden far away_

_ A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray_

_ Forget your woes and let your troubles lay_

_ And when again it's morning they'll wash away._

_ Here it's safe, here it's warm_

_ Here the daisies guard you from every harm_

_ Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true_

_ Here is the place where I love you._

That was when I glanced up into a group of trees to see a flock of mockingjays. They had been singing the song…but the question was; who sang it to them in the first place? Who would they listen to and then repeat the song? Who had a angelic voice that was also in the arena?

All the birds fell silent except one and I was able to pinpoint the voice from the interview even though she and I had never officially met.

Zelda was the singer. Somehow she knew the song even after it was outlawed and sang it to the birds to sing elsewhere. But…where was Zelda then? Here on the island? Back on the mainland? Did she just happen to sing the song when she thought no one was around only to get it picked up by the mockingjays? It was quite impossible to know.

A tune was building at the back of my throat. A tune also from the time of Katniss, Peeta…and Rue. It was Rue's song, the four bars of music she would sing to the birds so her people would know when the workday was over. Now those four bars of the song were being repeated by me.

The Mockingjays listened intensively, and then joined in. Then an amazing thing happened. Half the birds took up my song, while the others kept singing Zelda's. The result was a sad, sad song and a tune that echoed the misery. A piece of art only perfected by the jays.

One by one, they took flight and vanished over the electric wall, still singing one of the two songs. I was left in silence to keep looking over the island again, having nearly forgotten what I was doing in the first place.

That was when I heard splashes, loud cries, and shouts coming from the way I had come. I turned and ran back to the beach near the Cornucopia to see Wolf standing waist deep in the water, holding Sonic under. I drew my sword and raced towards them.

"WOLF!" I screamed. "Let him go!"

Wolf, taken by surprise, loosened his grip on Sonic, who managed to get a small gulp of air before being forced under again. I had just about reached them when Wolf threw Sonic a bit further out into the water and rushed at me, claws unsheathed. I had only my sword.

"He killed Fox!" Wolf hissed, slashing at me. "Now I'll kill him!"

"You'll have to go through me first." I growled, deflecting his claws and slashing at his stomach. Wolf leapt backwards, tripping over his own feet, and went under. I stabbed my sword where he had fallen, and dark red blood drifted up to the surface. I wrenched my sword out of water and while running, sheathed it. I reached Sonic and managed to pull him out of the water and drag him to land.

"Sonic?" I demanded. "Sonic!"

He didn't move. I knew what to do, though. In training they had taught me CPR in case something like this happened. I thought I wouldn't be needing it, but I was wrong.

A cannonshot rang out, but I knew it was for Wolf. A hovercraft came and picked his body up from the water and flew off again.

"Sonic, come on! Breathe!" I hissed. My arms were getting tired but I wasn't about to stop. I had seen enough death today. I wasn't ready for more. I pressed harder down on his chest until I heard something snap. That was when I sat back and stared up at the sky, all hope lost.

Another cannonshot rang out. He was gone, along with Wolf, Marth, Fox and Lucario.

I retreated back into the woods when the hovercraft appeared, going to the place where the mockingjays had appeared. There was only one left in the tree, and it glanced at me like it expected something.

"What am I going to do?" I asked it. "I witnessed four deaths today! I nearly died myself! How am I going to win these Games?"

The mockingjay tilted its head at me and said in a deep, throaty growl, "You won't."

It took flight and flew away.


	9. Chapter 9, Link

_**LINK**_

Ike had spared me for one reason only: I appeared weak and defenseless to him.

Perfect. My plan was working.

Zelda and I had escaped the Cornucopia unscathed and were now huddled in an ice trench we had dug together. We were in some sort of frozen tundra, where the temperature had to be about twenty below. Somehow the green clothes the Capitol had given us for the Games were blocking out most of the cold. I was thankful for that.

"Look, Link!" Zelda pointed outside the ice hut, where a small silver parachute had drifted to the ground just outside. I grabbed it and pulled it in to see two loaves of bread along with two small packets of butter and a large packet of water purifier…also a large water bottle, but it wasn't filled.

"Well, Ganondorf got us a Sponcer." I said, handing Zelda one of the loaves and packets of butter. "I'll go hunting later, so we can enjoy this for a while."

We sat there in our snow fort, watching small particles of snow blow around outside. Soon the Capitol's anthem played, and the faces of the dead spread across the skies.

Lucario and Marth.

"Oh, no…" Zelda gasped, her eyes wide as she stared at Marth's dead image in the sky. "I wonder what happened…?"

"Something bad, obviously. I thought I heard two cannonshots all within two minuets." I said, thinking about Ike and how mad he must be right now.

"Well, there's nothing we can do." Zelda admitted quietly, leaning her head against my shoulder. "But sooner or later we'll have to get out there and confront the others."

I nodded solemnly. I didn't want to kill, but I didn't want to die. It was a terrible situation to be in, so I figured that avoiding the others at all costs would be the best way to go. But sooner or later the Capitol might cause some drastic disaster to happen to draw us all together in one area so we would be forced to kill.

I vowed to myself I would do anything to keep Zelda alive. After all, I was suppost to be a hero or something. Right now, I was feeling less like a hero and more like an 'or something'.

Soon the wind stopped blowing across the tundra and we figured it was ok to leave and try to find another place to stay where it was less cold. I filled the water bottle with snow and added purifier, letting it melt for later so we would have something to drink.

We trekked across the huge wall separating the tundra with the desert and entered the scalding hot sun. I didn't know what was worse; the frigid cold, or the intense heat. I eventually went with the sun, because by the time we reached a giant pit separating where we were from a dense forest I was about baked to a crisp.

Zelda and I carefully crossed the bridge and took shelter under one of the huge trees. I swore I could feel my skin steaming from the sun, but I dismissed that fact and handed Zelda the water bottle, which was melted and now a bit warm. She took a drink from it and then handed it back to me.

"Now what?" I asked.

Zelda took a deep breath and whispered a few bars of a song. I recognized it as what was now called 'The Forbidden Song':

_Deep in the meadow, under the willow_

_ A bed of grass, a soft green pillow_

_ Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes_

_ And when again they open, the sun will rise…_

She sang the entire song. I don't know how she knew it, but it was sad and beautiful, reminding the listeners of Rue's last moments in the arena from so long ago. I don't know why she sang it, but it seemed like the right thing to do.

"How do you know that song?" I asked when she finished. The last lines of the song were still haunting me.

Zelda was about to respond when a loud shout came from further back into the forest. I jumped up, my hand on my only weapon: my sword. I began to edge forward into the forest, where it began to get darker with every step. Zelda was close behind me.

Something moved, and we ducked behind some bushes and witnessed what happened.

"This is our territory. You know we're here, so now you die." Snake was currently growling. I could see that he was holding something…something big too.

"I…I was just looking for Wolf." Fox said. "I head he was back here, but I guess-"

There was an explosion of fire and Fox came flying over us and into a tree behind us. He hit the ground and didn't move. My heart was thudding so hard in my chest I was sure that Snake would hear it and kill us too. I could see from the dying fire that had caught on some leaves that Zelda was as freaked out as I was.

"That takes care of another one." Snake said as a cannonshot rang out.

That was when a strong gust of wind nearly blew me off my feet and Snake swore loudly and said to some unknown person back behind him, "That's Sonic. Come on, we can get rid of him just as easily as we did Fox."

Snake lowered the weapon he had used to kill Fox and yelled as loud as he could, "Wolf! Fox is dead! Sonic killed him!"

"What?" Sonic's voice sounded from somewhere to my right. That was when a loud crashing through the undergrowth caught my attention and I leapt backwards, pushing Zelda out of the way as Wolf came barreling through the plants where we had been crouching a moment before.

"I'm going to kill you!" Wolf screamed, his voice filled with anger. He began firing some sort of weapon but Sonic had run off somewhere. Wolf continued running after him.

I was stunned, to say the least. Sonic was as good as dead. Snake was a cold-blooded killer…and if we wanted to live, we'd better get out there as soon as possible.

"Come on." I whispered as loud as I dared. "We need to get out of here before something happens to us too."

Meanwhile, Snake had begun talking to the person behind him. I grew quiet because I was sure that this conversation would prove life-saving in any way.

"So we got two in one day, Samus. Couldn't have asked for better."

"I still can't believe you did that." Samus whispered. I could barely hear her. "I don't know if I would have been able to do something that evil."

"Aw, come on, babe, that wasn't evil. It was survival." Snake said. "Come on. Let's make sure that there are no more intruders back here."

They left. As soon as I was certain that they weren't coming back I stood up, grabbed Zelda's hand, and practically dragged her towards the bridge.

"Link! Wait up!" Zelda hissed, trying to keep up with me. But I knew if we slowed down we'd both be dead. We reached the end of the bridge and stopped only because of one thing.

Pikachu was at the other side, daring us to cross. I drew my sword and stared back at him.

"Link, we need to get out of here before Samus and Snake come back." Zelda whispered.

"I know, but Pikachu isn't moving." I hissed.

Pikachu began crossing the bridge. I was tempted to cut it, but then that would destroy the only chance of us getting back to the mainland. I backed up to allow Pikachu to reach the side we were on. Zelda made the first move. In one swift ninja-like kick at Pikachu, she nearly sent him over the side of the cliff.

Pikachu caught himself and sent a shock of electricity at her. Zelda jumped, and his attack hit a nearby tree. Then I lashed out with my sword, nearly slicing him in half.

Pikachu was quicker than I had anticipated. He could doge my attacks like he saw them coming and then counter with a deadly attack of his own. I began to wonder if this was the end for me when a cannonshot rang out.

Pikachu glanced towards the sky, and I saw my chance. I hit him with the flat of my sword and sent him flying into some treetops. But that didn't stop him for long. He came flying right back at us again and the assault continued.

Another cannonshot, but this time we didn't turn.

"Zelda! Send him into the pit!" I shouted, slowly but surely bringing Pikachu closer to the pit's edge. Zelda built up a handful of magic and flung it at Pikachu, momentarily weakening his muscles and giving me a moment to act.

But before I could do any more there was an explosion of fire and I found my face in the dirt. All around me was enveloped in fire. My leg was burning. I quickly slapped the fire out, but the burn it left was severe. I crawled backwards away from Snake, who was advancing with his weapon of destruction. I couldn't see where Zelda was…Pikachu was lying next to me, unmoving.

"Oh, it's the weakling." Snake taunted. "I'm surprised you've lived for this long."

"Same here." I managed to say before gritting my teeth against the pain that was beginning to intensify in my leg. "Snake…Don't…"

"Don't kill you?" Snake scoffed. "Sorry, that wasn't my plan."

"No…" I groaned. "Zelda…kill me…let her live…"

"Isn't that cute." Snake hissed. "Giving your girlfriend a chance to live. Sorry, after I kill you I planned to take her out too."

Somehow that sentence gave me the power to grip my sword and stand. I stared Snake straight in the eyes and hissed back, "You'll die instead of us!"

Snake aimed at me with the fire gun and I braced myself to feel the heat and melt where I stood. Instead, a figure concealed by the bushes leapt out and hit Snake upside the head, throwing off his aim and causing him to drop the gun. "Link, get out of here!" Zelda growled, aiming another kick at Snake as he tried to get up again. That move put him out of action for a good while.

"I don't know if I can…" I limped to the bridge and nearly fell off the side of it. "He hit me with that thing."

"I'll be right behind you. Just walk." Zelda guided me across the bridge. Slowly and painfully we made it to the other side, where we both collapsed in the sand.

"Let me see your leg." Zelda ordered, taking my ankle and examining the side of my leg. "Third degree." She concluded a few seconds later. "Ganondorf, if you got us any good Sponcers, now's a good time to send something."

No later than ten minuets later did a small silver parachute arrive with a small jar of burn cream. Zelda smeared it over my leg, and after a few seconds of intense pain, it began to go slightly numb, and then back to normal. I could almost pretend nothing happened.

"Come on. We need to get somewhere where we can be safe." Zelda said. "The desert doesn't offer much protection."

She threw my arm around her shoulders and lifted me up. I managed to hop along with her, but we weren't doing very well with the 'go fast' factor. Every few minuets we had to rest in order just to continue to struggle on.

"Come on, the tundra's over here. We can camp in our ice shelter tonight." Zelda finally said.

I tried to look out into the distance, but the desert was swimming before my eyes. I thought I was going to pass out.

"Zelda….I can't go on." I managed to gasp. "We have to…stop here…"

Zelda lowered me to the sand and then ripped the right sleeve off her suit and used it to bind up my leg after putting a bit more cream on it. I lay there in the soft sand, using the water bottle as a pillow as Zelda glanced around and decided that there was nothing that would pose a threat for a while.

It was then that I realized how dark it was already. A few seconds later after that amazing observation, the Capitol's logo blared across the sky and the faces of the dead scrolled through the skies.

Fox, Wolf and Sonic were out of the Hunger Games for good.

I thought I'd feel relieved, but instead all I felt was emptiness. Three more people I'll never see again in the District if I lived to tell the tale.


	10. Chapter 10, Snake

_**, SNAKE**___

Someone was shaking me. I dragged myself out of a painful sleep to find Samus by my side.

"I got Pikachu. I didn't know if you wanted to kill him or not." She said, but I knew her. She didn't want to kill. Not in this situation. She was only used to killing things that directly threatened her. But not me. I would kill even if she wouldn't.

She lead me towards the bridge in the beginning of the forest, where Pikachu was strung up by his tail by some vines. He was flailing around, unable to find anything to grab onto and get back to the ground.

"So, Pikachu…" I gripped my hunting knife in my hand. "It all comes down to this. Any last words?"

"PIKAAA!" Pikachu wailed. I just smirked.

"Well, whatever that means, I hope it means something to someone out there." I raised the knife. "See ya."

Samus' fist connected with the side of my head. I gasped as stars exploded in my vision and I stumbled to the side. I felt the hunting knife get ripped out of my grasp.

I hit the ground and scrambled back up to face Samus.

"I end my alliance with you, you cold-blooded killer." She growled. "I can survive on my own."

"Really." I said, already recovered from her punch. "How?"

And I lunged at her, punching and kicking. Samus was ready, though. She expertly blocked every punch and kick I threw at her and returned and even landed a few on me. That was when she knocked my glasses from my face and gained the upper hand, beating me to the ground.

"I hope the others have the common sense to stay away from you." She said when she ended her ferocious attack. "I won't kill you…yet. Come on, Pikachu."

"Pika," I head Pikachu hit the ground with a small thump. I didn't move as Samus moved past me to go back to our camp, more than likely to raid it of everything of value.

"You're not going to kill me either, Pikachu?" I taunted. "You and her have a alliance?"

"Pi," Pikachu hissed. "Pika Pi."

That was when I head Samus scream and come running back to us, yelling, "Mutts! Get out of here!"

I frantically felt around on the ground for my glasses and shoved them on my face as Samus and Pikachu darted towards the bridge. There, not twelve feet from me, was a vicious looking wolf, glaring at me as if readying itself to pounce in for the kill.

I slowly bent to the ground and picked up the knife Samus dropped. "You wanna take me?" I taunted the beast. "Well, come get me."

The beast lunged at me, sinking its teeth into my arm and shoving me to the ground. I slashed at it with my knife, cutting out its eye and sending it reeling, screeching with pain.

I scrambled up and darted for the bridge, but I was taken down by another mutt. This one digging its claws into the back of my left shoulder. I cried out as I felt blood coat my arm and began slashing at it backhandedly, hoping for a solid hit.

It never caught. While I was trying desperately to get it off of me, I could feel my strength ebbing away…I just wanted a quick death now, nothing drawn out or agonizing…

The beast suddenly screeched and threw itself off of me. I glanced up to see Pikachu standing there, Samus at his side. She bent down and managed to haul me to my feet, dragging me as fast as she could to the bridge.

"Samus…we're both not going to make it across like this." I gasped. "Go on ahead…I'll cut the bridge so they can't cross and get at you again."

"I'm not leaving anyone behind." Samus hissed.

Pikachu kept the beasts at bay by firing lightning bolts at them, but that wasn't our biggest probablem. The bridge was in sight, but I still didn't come up with a plan to get us across it. Samus kept right on walking, though. She was obviously going to try to get us both across at the same time.

We took our first steps on the thing to feel it sway beneath us, but she kept on pushing me along. Pikachu was now on the bridge too, still keeping the wolf things away from us.

We were about halfway now, taking a sharp right to avoid falling into the pit. That was when one of the wolf things grabbed hold of the end of the bridge and began to shake it violently.

Samus slipped, and we began to fall. My injured arm caught one of the boards in the bridge and I grabbed onto it. Samus grabbed my ankle before she could fall any more. Now we were both stuck, with no way of getting up again and with mutts right on our heels.

"Samus…I'll try to throw you up onto the bridge. When you're up there, help me up." I said. My arm felt like it was on fire.

"All right." Samus said confidently. "Go ahead, then!"

I began to swing myself back and fourth, building momentum that would bring her to the top of the bridge so she could bring me up there too. I had reached the max of the swing, and she let go and flipped gracefully up to the top of the bridge…landing on my fingers.

"AAAGH!" I screamed. I had done that for two of two things: One, it hurt like hell, and two, I let go of the bridge and began falling to my death.

"SNAKE!" Samus reached down and grabbed my forearm before I could drop any lower. With a firm grip on me, she hauled me up to the bridge.

"Go!" I shouted. "I'll help Pikachu!" I drew my knife again and ignored the pain coursing through my poor arm.

All three of us began making careful advances towards the desert. Pikachu kept firing lightning bolts at the mutts while I stood at attention, just in case one of them leapt over Pikachu and came straight for me. Samus had her hand on her knife, and she kept glancing backwards at every glance she had.

Finally, after what felt like years, she shouted, "I'm on land again."

That meant Pikachu and I weren't that far from it either. I kept backing up…until my feet brushed sand and I breathed a sigh of relief. Pikachu sent one final lightning bolt at the mutts and then jumped backwards and hit my square in my chest, sending me falling to the sand and knocking the wind out of my lungs.

"They're coming!" Samus shouted, throwing her knife into the eye of one of the oncoming beasts. It died instantly, and while she recovered her knife, Pikachu and I attacked the remaining beast.

"Get it, Pikachu!" I shouted, flinging my knife and hitting it in its stomach. Pikachu fired a strong bolt into its head and it collapsed, dead.

Samus turned to me and said after a long pause, "Good teamwork, but I'm still not your ally."

"Even after all that?" I asked, gripping my injured shoulder. "I saved your life!"

"Technically, we all saved each other's lives." Samus retorted. "I'll spare you all, but that doesn't mean I'm your ally. Hopefully we won't meet up again."

With that, she turned and walked off towards the volcano-like structure in the distance, with nothing but a hunting knife. I glanced at Pikachu.

"See you around." I muttered, limping off towards what looked like a frozen tundra. I hoped sparing both of them wouldn't come back later to stab me in the back, quite literally.

I didn't know where Pikachu went off to, but his action would be his downfall.


	11. Chapter 11, Shadow

_**SHADOW**_

A small silver parachute drifted to the sand in front of me, just outside the Cornucopia. I grabbed it and discovered a miniature flare gun. Why I would need something like that, I didn't know. I wasn't planning to get into trouble and send it up to be introduced to more trouble.

After getting off the volcanic structure, I had returned to the Cornucopia, using the mouth of the structure as a source of shelter. I hadn't found any water and strength was leaving me quickly. I figured I had two days left, maybe less.

The day was growing to a close. I glanced up at the sky, but the anthem didn't play at its usual time. No one had died today.

That meant that the Capitol would want some intense action the following day. I figured I might as well rest while I could. I somehow managed to drift into an uneasy sleep to be awoken by a bright, full moon hanging in the sky. The light it was radiating was almost as intense as the sun's.

I crawled out of the Cornucopia to glance around, but all was quiet. I was just about to drift off again when a loud wailing howl filled the air around me. I darted out of my shelter and faced where it had come.

The arctic area.

Although I had no idea who'd be over there in the intense cold.

The wail came again, this time accompanied by human cries. So someone _was_ over there. I grabbed my sword and made a beeline towards the climate. I realized halfway there I was also clutching the flare gun. I figured I could fire it at whatever was attacking whoever it was over there.

I darted over the metal wall and landed ankle deep in snow. I stood there, trying to listen for any sound.

The wail came again, this time to my left. I turned and ran after it. Something moved in the snowy haze. I couldn't tell what it was, but I knew it was big.

"Hey!" I shouted, trying to get its attention. "Want a real challenge?"

The beast paused for a second, and then ran at me with surprising speed. I had my sword ready and cut its forepaw off as it lunged at me. The snow was stained red and it gave a deafening howl. It began to pitifully limp away, but I did nothing to ease its passing. I began crossing the tundra to where the beast had been…digging? It was hard to tell.

A cannonshot. I began to walk faster to see who had perished in the snow-strewn climate.

Pikachu, or what remained of Pikachu, lay in a bloodied heap. Even if he was barely clinging to life, I wouldn't have been able to help him. That meant six Tributes were dead…and six remained.

Ike, Link, Zelda, Snake, Samus, and the me. As far as I knew, Zelda and Link were the only two left with a permanent alliance. That mean that they'd always be together. Shouldn't be hard to miss.

I retreated a few steps to watch the hovercraft pick up Pikachu's mutilated body and fly off. I had seen three of the six die. I wasn't ready to watch more. I began slowly crossing the tundra back to the wall where a sound distracted me.

I turned to see Samus standing behind me where a second ago had just been snow. She had a long and jagged hunting knife in her hand. I raised my sword but didn't charge quite yet.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded.

"I should be asking you that." Samus hissed. "I watched as Pikachu died."

"And you didn't do anything to help him?"

"I couldn't." Samus indicated her knife. "I would have barely cut through its pelt."

"Right." I said, unconvinced. "Are you going to kill me, or are you just here for the sights?"

"I'm here for the safety, or what's left of it." Samus growled. "But this place isn't big enough for the two of us. There have been mutts roaming around all over the place. No doubt the Capitol set them out to take a few of us."

I just nodded and began backing up towards the wall again. When my heel hit the first stair, I turned and ran up the stairs, three at a time. I could hear Samus right behind me. Her knife clanged right where my hand had been a second ago.

I reached the top and took a brief glance around me to see the entire desert area crawling with beasts. They were all closing in around two people who could have only been…

Without thinking, I raised the flare to the sky and squeezed the trigger. A bright red firework blasted into the sky and detonated with a deafening crash. The mutts all raised their glowing yellow eyes to me and then bolted for the stairs leading up to the tundra. I decided I'd have better luck taking my chances with Samus and turned.

She saw me coming back down the stairs and got a quizzical look on her face, like she couldn't believe that I was stupid enough to come running back to her.

But once the first mutt cleared the wall and leapt at her, she turned to run too.

She screamed as two slammed her into the ground, but that was all I saw before I tripped and fell into the snow. I slashed with my sword as I tried to get back up, slicing a few mutts in the process. But five more took their places. One seemed to realize that if it took out my sword, it could take me out too.

The beast swiped my sword out of my grasp, tearing open my arm in the process. Blood melted the snow around me and stained the monsters' fur. I tried to squirm away from their claws and their teeth, but they had already made it escape-proof. I screamed as one sunk its teeth into my shoulder, ripping out muscle and bone.

More red stained the snow. It seemed to be the only color I could actually see now. Red everywhere. A mutt with fiery red eyes raked its claws deep into my side, shattering my ribs and probably destroying my lung. I didn't have the energy to struggle anymore. The pain was too intense. I couldn't see anymore.

A cannonshot. I thought for sure I was dead, but then another clawed paw raked down my back. I tried to scream, but I had no voice. I just wanted to die…

I thought I heard a whistle. The mutts backed away from me and ran off, leaving me to either bleed to death or freeze to death, whichever was slower. The agony was overwhelming. The only movement I could make was clenching and unclenching my left fist, the only arm and hand not damaged by the mutts because I had been lying on it the entire time.

Footsteps.

I began to shudder, not so much from the cold, but because my body knew it was dying. Someone knelt next to me but I couldn't tell who it was. They whispered something, but I couldn't make out what…The red was fading from my vision to be replaced by pure white. And I made out one word:

"Goodbye."


	12. Chapter 12, Ike

_**IKE**_

I saw the red firework ignite in the sky, but I had no idea who set it off. But I did see who was spared from the wolfish creatures.

Link and Zelda, who were sitting huddled together, looking stunned. I couldn't blame them.

I began to run after the beasts. I hoped to give at least some backup to whoever set off the signal, because they were practically sacrificing themselves to save the two Hylians. By the time I reached the top of the wall I heard agonized screams coming from two different people. I darted for the closest and found a pack of five beasts surrounding and tearing apart Samus. In my fury, I killed all five of them with smooth strokes and then knelt at Samus' side.

"Samus! Samus!" I screamed. "Please, listen to me! It's Ike!"

I was distracted from her as another beast tried to sneak up on me. I killed it with a thrust through its head and then tried again with Samus. "Samus! Speak to me!"

A cannonshot.

I sat back heavily on my boots and sighed a sigh of defeat. _Another Tribute lost_…

A choked scream brought me back to my senses. I followed the sound as fast as I could to find three more mutts gathered and slicing away at…it was hard to tell now, but I think it was Shadow.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" I screamed, bringing my sword up to kill the closest one when a loud, shrill whistle sounded in the distance. All the mutts bounded towards the sound, including others that were hidden back in the snow a long ways off.

I forced myself to look down at Shadow, to try to figure out if I could save him or not. He was shuddering; his entire body shaking probably from both cold and pain. I knelt by his side and nearly shouted, "Shadow! Shadow! Can you hear me?"

He couldn't breathe. Not after what the mutts did to his lung. I knew there was no saving him, so I slowly drew my sword, prepared to put him out of his misery.

"Goodbye." I whispered, plunging the blade into his chest.

Another cannonshot.

Three in less than an hour.

I stood up and backed away as a hovercraft came and retrieved both Shadow and Samus' bodies and left as silently as it had come. I wanted to die too, just to get away from this horror. I wanted to tell Marth something about the arena. It was shaped like a clover! A four-leafed clover.

A sign of good luck.

From my perspective, that wasn't really happening.

I trudged through the snow back to the wall and climbed over and began wondering the cold desert.

The moon hung bright in the sky, lighting my path. I eventually found myself staring into my reflection on the Cornucopia. I looked terrible; tired, scared, shocked, sad, and a million other emotions were swirling around my features. I just couldn't place them.

I finally entered the mouth of the Cornucopia to find a small water bottle with a packet of purifier inside. I didn't know who put this there, but I was grateful for it. I knew where to get some water, even if I had to melt it first. I took the bottle and headed back up to the tundra.

After filling the bottle with as much snow as it could hold, I trooped back to the Cornucopia to let it thaw. I still couldn't get the sight of the red snow out of my head and I knew that if I lived, the image would never leave me.

I dreamed of death that night.

Marth was there with me. We were on the side of the volcano, and then Lucario attacked us. I tried to save Marth from the Pokémon, but something kept dragging me back. That was when Shadow showed up and chopped off Lucario's arm and causing him to mutate into one of the beasts up in the tundra. Shadow was torn apart before my eyes and Marth was killed just as he was. I tried to kill Lucario, but he kept laughing at me as I tried to get at him, but something was still holding me back…I couldn't see what it was…was it the sun…?

I woke up the smell of burning sand, leaves, and dirt. I didn't even know that had a smell, until now. I looked out of the Cornucopia to see a river of red-hot lava slowly making its way across the arena. The volcano had erupted.

I scrambled up and ran away from the oncoming deadly stream. That was when I noticed how two of the climates had huge metal barriers separating them from the others, and I decided that those were the safe zones.

I had a choice: go beck to the tundra and never sleep again from past horrors or go to the ocean and never sleep again from past horrors.

Not much of a choice. But I was closer to the ocean, so I made a sharp left and reached the stairs and began climbing. I watched as the lava burned away everything in the arena except the two zones I was correct about. After checking that the water wasn't electrified, I began to swim to the island once again.

Upon reaching it, I discovered that I wasn't the only one with the island idea. Snake, Link, and Zelda were all standing on the beach watching as the arena burned.

I dragged myself out of the water and onto the sand to hear a loud buzzing sound. I turned around to see small bolts of electricity running through the water. The final four were trapped on the island, forced to face each other.

"So this is it." Snake hissed at last. "This is where it ends."

Zelda, Link and I nodded, glancing to one another.

"May the best person win." Zelda said softly.

Link and I drew our swords. Snake pulled out a ragged hunting knife and Zelda conjured a sphere of fire in her hands. We all stared at one another for a few moments and then the final battle began.

Zelda's fire missed my be mere inches, instead igniting a bush. I slashed at Snake, but he was skilled with his knife. I turned and deflected Link's blade in-between Snake's attacks.

The fire had spread to parts of the forest. Now there was nowhere to hide in the forest. The Capitol was probably at the edge of their seats watching the fight unfold.

I parried Snake's blade and brought my foot up and shoved it into his stomach, forcing him to stumble backwards…

…into the electrified water.

There was a magnificent snap that mingled with the cannonshot. Snake's burned corpse floated freely in the saltwater as I turned my attention back to Link and Zelda and the fight intensified.

I parried Link's sword and dodged Zelda's fire attack only to be hit with another, sending me back dangerously close to the water's edge. _I had come this far…I will NOT be killed_!

I rolled out of the way of Link's sword as he tired to shove it into my stomach and then brought my foot up and kicked at his kneecap, sending him to the sand and buying me a ten second get-up-and-get-ready sort of thing.

Zelda was standing there, another fire attack at the ready. I made sure my clothes weren't burning before I lunged at her.

Link's scream seemed to freeze time as Zelda's eyes widened in shock. My sword exited her back and I roughly pulled it out of her body again. A bright red gaping hole in her stomach seemed to grow brighter.

Another cannonshot.


	13. Chapter 13, Link

_**LINK**_

I was pretty sure that Ike had broken my knee. But once he killed Zelda, I ignored the pain and ran at him.

Tears stung at my eyes as I slashed at Ike over and over and over again. He blocked my attacks, but he was getting tired. I could tell. He wasn't powered by fury. So when he went down, I continued to hack away at him until the final cannonshot had echoed long away.

Then I cried. Not just for Zelda, but for the final sentence Ike had muttered.

"Good job, Link."

That was all I remembered for the longest time.

** XxXxXxXx**

"_Link?_"

I didn't want to move. I was a murderer. I deserved to die. Why did they have the final ceremony for the Games so soon? I could never get over what I've done…

"_Link._" Midna hugged my arm and stared at me hopefully. "_Wodem feien kaja._"

"Do you take the Winnings or the Wish?" Ganondorf translated. "You won, you know."

"I know." My voice didn't sound like mine. It sounded like death. "I've decided."

"Good. The ceremony's in three days." Ganondorf said. I thought I detected a hint of worry in his eyes, but that moment was gone. "Good job out there."

I turned my head away from him and dropped into unconsciousness once more.

** XxXxXxXx**

I couldn't bring myself to face the other accompaniments of the fallen Tributes. Especially Lyn, Roy and Mei Ling. For some reason, every time I saw them I felt like I wanted to die all over again. I knew I would never be the same after those Games. Not ever.

So then came the interviews with the accompaniments. Many of them were teary and devastating, while others were pitifully upbeat with broken phrases like, "Well, they tried their best." Or something along those lines.

Then Harlem interviewed me directly in front of the others.

"So, Link. You've won the Games." He said happily. I wanted nothing better than to knock him off the stage. "So what do you choose? The Winnings, or the Wish?"

I turned to look at the accompaniments, most of which were giving me murderous looks. I had officially decided.

"I want them back. The Tributes. Bring them back. That's my wish."

Complete silence.

I knew either way I'd get what I wanted. I'd either get them back, which was practically impossible; or they'd kill me, so I wouldn't have to go back to the District to face everyone else there.

President Harlem finally spoke.

"Well…considering how many of them weren't damaged too badly and medical advancements are so incredible…that may not be far from what we can do."

I thought I'd just die there. Did he actually grant my wish? I heard something, and turned to see Lucas, Samus' accompaniment, clapping. One by one, the others began to join in along with the crowd.

My wish was granted.


	14. Chapter 14, Lucario

_**LUCARIO**_

I could hear voices. Soft, far off voices. I thought it was just the dead calling to me again and dismissed it. I had been hearing voices for a long time now, but I could never find them or answer them. I could only lie in darkness and hope that the owners of the voices would reveal themselves. As I listened to the voices, they seemed to grow louder. This was very unusual, even for death…

I sat up so suddenly that Trevor jumped.

I was alive. How was it possible? I had been dead, I was sure of it. And yet here I was, in one of the Capitol's hospitals. What happened? Had I really died after all? Had I…

"Lucario, relax." Trevor said, looking happier than I had ever seen him. "Link won the Hunger Games and used the Wish to bring the fallen Tributes back."

That's when I realized what he needed me to do. Send a thought to everyone else from the District and tell them when to act. Link had unconsciously triggered a rebellion; one that would hopefully wipe out the Capitol for good.

"_So we're all alive?_" I asked, leaning back again until my head sunk into the pillows. "_How is this possible?_" I tried to sense the emotions encased in the room…but there was nothing other than Trevor's of relief, worry and excitement.

"Even I don't know." Trevor admitted. "But the last I heard, Pikachu, Samus and Shadow were probably not going to make it. Possibly Snake too, because they're literally re-growing his skin because he was burned so badly."

I shuddered. Just thinking of that made me feel sick. "_When do you need me to tell everyone?_" I asked casually, in case someone was eavesdropping on us. There was a good possibility of that.

"As soon as everyone can stand." Trevor said.

Ganondorf, Zelda's accompaniment, walked into the room. He glanced at me and then said, "You're the second dead Tribute to wake. Good to see that there were no side effects."

"_Like what?_" I asked nervously.

"You know, deformities, weird alter personalities, the works. You should have seen how long they were working on you. I'm pretty sure they gave you a new heart." Ganondorf smiled evilly.

My hand went to the place where Shadow's sword had run me through, but there wasn't even a scar. I felt entirely normal, beside a slight headache. "_What else?_" I asked, dreading the answer.

"They reinforced your broken ribs with some type of tough plastic, or so I've heard. They also replaced your lung because it was too badly damaged also. I don't know what else." That smile on his face wouldn't leave. "I tried to talk them into giving you a new brain, but they refused."

"Ok, Ganondorf, thank you." Trevor said loudly. "Go away, please."

I wanted nothing more than to get out of this prison of a hospital and begin the revolt as soon as possible. Obviously the Capitol wouldn't be expecting an attack from us after being directly released from intense care.

"_How's everyone else doing_?" I asked before Ganondorf left around the corner.

"Pretty good, from what I've heard. Although Marth woke up earlier today…attacked the doctors…they just knocked him out again. Poor kid, he's got to be terrified."

I nodded but didn't say anything else.

"Ok. Thanks, Ganondorf." Trevor said, watching as Ganondorf left the room to go terrorize someone else.

"The doctors said you might not be able to get up and around for another week or so. And during that week you'll be under constant care so they know that your new heart will hold up." Trevor muttered. "They won't send us accompaniments back to the Districts, though. We absolutely refused to get on the train."

I smiled sadly. "_Thanks, Trevor._"

"They told me to tell you to go back to sleep as soon as you woke, but I figured you'd want to know what happened first." He said. "But now that you know the most important of it, you should do what they say."

I nodded and turned onto my side. Sleep overtook me and I dreamed I entered back into the world of the dead.

** 5 DAYS LATER**…

Even though technically we weren't suppost to leave the hospital, Sonic, Wolf and I regularly left to hide behind some statues, where one of the accompaniments would bring us actual good food to eat. The hospital's version of food was a watery soup that hardly contained anything more than cooked carrots and a possible chunk of meat. And the portions were as large as appetizers.

"All right! Lucas brought us roast beef….and cake!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Not so loud, you don't want to be caught, do you?" Wolf hissed, grabbing at the plate. "Give me some meat. I'm dying, here!"

"Not after what you did to me in the arena." Sonic hissed back. "You don't deserve it."

"_Hey, we're all alive, aren't we? Give him the meat, Sonic._" I sighed. I just wanted to eat.

We ate everything in less than five minuets. I had never tasted anything as good as the cake, and once it was gone I felt ready to wait here behind the statues until they brought me more, however long that would take.

"All right, the coast's clear. Let's sneak back." Wolf said.

I left the plate, because another accompaniment would eventually find it and bring it to the kitchen. We carefully moved down the halls, keeping a watchful eye out for anyone, friendly or not.

"I don't know if I can wait until tomorrow for food." Sonic grumbled, heading into his room. "If I die, tell them to bring me back to life again, will you?"

"Sure." Wolf said. "But only if I get something out of it."

"You can have my cake."

"Sounds good to me."

I rolled my eyes and climbed back into my bed, with not a second to spare. Trevor came around the corner with a doctor, trying to explain to him about Jhoto. But the doctor didn't look like he was understanding what he was saying, so Trevor trailed off.

"How are you feeling?" The doctor asked me.

"_Fine_." I said, thinking of the meat and cake I had illegally stolen and nearly smiling.

"Just another few days and you can be back and eating at the main table in the dining hall." The doctor said.

"_I can't wait for that._" I winked at Trevor, who returned the wink with a broad smile.

The doctor left after getting a small blood sample from me. Trevor then burst out laughing.

"How was the meat?" He asked.

"_Great. And the cake was like nothing I've ever tasted._" I said.

"That was carrot cake." Trevor said. "I thought you guys probably haven't had that kind before."

"_It was delicious._"

"I'm glad you liked it."

He stood there for a while. I couldn't really sense his emotions, which slightly worried me. Either he could block out his emotions from me now, or the doctors did something to my power.

"_What's wrong?_" I asked, dismissing the thought.

"Well…I'm not sure what's going to happen to the three that were mauled by the mutts." Trevor said worriedly. "I heard someone say that they might not make it. If anyone, Samus would be the one to pull through."

I glanced at the floor.

"But there is still a chance." Trevor said hastily. "They're not going to give up on them yet."

"_But when will they once they know there's no hope?_" My question seemed to catch Trevor off guard. He looked up at the roof, and then down at the floor, avoiding my eyes.

"I…I don't know." He said at last.

I could only hope that they would be strong enough to live.


	15. Chapter 15, Shadow

_**SHADOW**_

All I had known for the longest time was darkness. When the blinding light cut through the dark abyss, I didn't know what was happening. There were voices too, but they were distorted and far away, except for this sentence:

"Well, who would've known."

I found the strength to open my eyes to see Ike standing beside me. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed across his chest, a smile on his face. "They didn't think you'd live. Apparently I did more damage than the mutts did."

"Wh…What…h…happened?" My voice didn't sound like mine. Talking sent stabs of pain through my body.

"Well, you were in the tundra…the mutts attacked you, Samus and Pikachu. I found you when you were dying and decided to put you out of your misery." Ike shrugged. "I didn't know that Link was gonna win and Wish for everyone to come back. You really did die, like the rest of us…for a while at any rate."

"…and…y…you?" I coughed.

"I'm fine. You, on the other hand…you had about thirty six operations done just on your back. They literally had to re-grow your skin and replace some of your organs."

If it didn't hurt so much, I would have gagged. Instead I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to block out the images that were scrolling through my mind.

"Sorry, I probably really creeped you out right there." Ike muttered. "Sorry. Oh, and there's something else I got to tell you…"

He lowered his voice as low as it would go and leaned closer to me.

"The revolt begins when Lucario gives the word."

I thought my heart would give out right there. There was already a revolt? Only a few years after the Capitol was set up again? Yet again, they won't be expecting this attack. Even I was taken by surprise.

"Don't worry, it's no time soon." Ike assured me.

At least I would have time to recover. I would need it. I figured I would need three weeks just to get to the point where breathing and speaking didn't hurt like knives.

"I should leave. I'm not even suppost to be here anyway." Ike said. "I'll pass on info to you when I can, though. You, Pikachu and Samus will be the last three on your feet, I know that for a fact. Just get as much rest as you can."

He left and I was alone in the room, on a not so comfortable hospital bed. I tried to focus on the ceiling, but my eyes wouldn't listen to me. Neither would my limbs. For the moment, I was immobilized. But as soon as the revolt fired up, I would be ready. I wanted the Capitol overthrown just as bad as the others. It was time they learned that they can't keep anyone prisoner forever.

The next few weeks consisted of a lot of therapy along with Samus. We had no idea where Pikachu was, or if he had even survived. Slowly but surely, Samus and I regained our strength, even though we weren't as strong yet as we once were. Her left leg was still stiff and my right arm still wouldn't move normally.

"You know about Lucario, right?" Samus asked me one day when she had visited me in my room for lunch. All we had to eat was a thin soup that wasn't very appetizing and left us hungrier than we had been before.

"Ike told me." I said. "He told me a few days ago that it's soon, too."

"I haven't seen head or tail of Pikachu around here." Samus said after a brief pause. "Do you think…do you think he…?"

"I don't know. None of the doctors will tell me." I put my empty bowl on a table. "He's got to still be here…"

"I'm not so sure anymore." Samus muttered.

"He was pretty mutilated when I saw him in the tundra." I recalled the frightening image of the poor Pokémon lying dead in the snow. "I don't know if he could be saved."

"I guess we'll find out what happened to him later." Samus answered.

Later that night I was awoken by Sonic, who came with a huge pot of stew. "Here. I figured they were hardly giving you anything to eat."

I ate the entire pot as fast as I could. It was then that I truly realized how starved I really was and how grateful I was for real food.

"Slow down, jeez! You'll just throw it back up." Sonic said.

"I hope you gave some to Samus before I ate it all." I said. "She looked like she could use real food too."

"Don't worry, Snake's gave her stuff." Sonic said. "Oh, and I know what happened to Pikachu."

I was paying attention now. "What?" I demanded.

"Turns out he just began therapy a day or two ago. He was in terrible shape when they began working on him and they were just able to save him, by the sounds of it."

"Good to know." I sighed.

"I doubt he'll be much help to us, though." Sonic said casually, as if he were talking about the weather. He began tapping his foot.

I just nodded.

"Well, then. See you soon." Sonic left.

Six days. That was how long we had before the revolt. That was how many times he had tapped his foot. Just six days left.

I told myself I had better be ready or I'd be back in the world of darkness for eternity.


	16. Chapter 16, Link

_**LINK**_

There was no way I would be able to lead a rebellion, for a number of reasons. The top one being I appeared to be a weakling to everyone and they won't take me seriously. Even though I won the Games. I guess they were right, because my strategy was hide and run and then hide again to avoid getting killed. I only killed at the end, but that action was still haunting me…

"So what's the game plan, Link?" Ganondorf asked, slapping me on the back and nearly knocking me over. Over the last few weeks my burned leg had healed, but it still ached terribly and did not appreciate sudden movements. As I tried to regain my balance, my leg burned like it was on fire once again.

"The plan is to survive." I growled. "And not lose a single person on either side."

"So you'll just declare independence and if they refuse, then we fight?" Ganondorf asked.

I sighed. I was never good at this. "I don't know."

"Well, if you're going to lead a rebellion, you've got to plan it!"

"Maybe I can't!" I retorted.

"I know you can! If you can stop me from taking over Hyrule, then you can stop the Capitol!" Ganondorf screamed at me. It was a miracle that no one overheard and Peacekeepers came running. Well, we were on the rooftop…

"Give me time and I'll come up with something," I said finally. "But don't expect anything too great."

"Anything is better than nothing."

"Unless it's me doing the planning." I stared down at my boots.

"If you don't lighten up, I swear I'll Dark Punch you to oblivion."

He left after that, leaving me in the peace of the rooftop to plan a plan which everyone's lives and freedom would depend on. So no pressure, obviously.

"The first thing we need to do is find where they put all those weapons we've made over the years."

I spun around to see Wolf standing behind me. "We need to find those weapons and at least use them to threaten."

I nodded. "Sounds good." I said slowly. "But what if they have a stash of high-tech, deadly weapons that could easily overrule ours?"

"That's when we _use_ the weapons." Wolf said hesitantly. "It's the only way, Link."

As much as I would have liked to deny that statement, I knew he was right. We would have to fight. It was the only way for us to live freely again, much like this planet before the Capitol rose up.

"All right," I sighed. "So we group together…and then go find the weapons. After that we take some people hostage…"

Wolf shook his head. "It won't be that easy. Sure, the weapons will be in this building, Lucario can sense them…but we don't know exacally where they are. We could be looking for hours. By then they'd get suspicious and try to stop us."

True, I hadn't thought of that.

"Then…we'll just have to move quickly." I said lamely. "And what about Pikachu? Last I heard he could barely sit up. We need to take him with us, because if the Capitol realizes what we're doing, they can use him against us."

"There you go." Wolf smiled. "Now you're planning."

"So we need to bring Pikachu with us, even if we have to carry him." I went on. "We find weapons, and we use them if we have to. We don't rest until we are free!"

"We'll stick with that plan unless you come up with something better." Wolf slapped me a high-five. "I'll talk to Lucario and he'll spread the word. Only one more day to go and then we move. Sound good?"

"Good enough," I replied. Just thinking of battling again made me queasy. I never wanted to lift another weapon as long as I lived.

I stood on the rooftop for a while longer until the door opened and someone walked onto the roof with me. I didn't really bother to turn around. "What's up?" I asked casually.

"The sky," Ness laughed. "Um, Lucario wants me to ask you if in case we fail and the Capitol overwhelms us…what do we do?"

The question took me by surprise, partly because it was coming from a little kid.

"Well…then things go back to the way they were before we planned an uprising." I said, not bothering to tell him that we'd all be dead if we failed. Lucario would know that anyway. "Nothing will change."

"Ok. Just checking." Ness smiled and then left, humming an upbeat song.

I hated to drag kids into things like this. I hated it when they were brought into adult situations like this and then forced to fight. I hated it when they were chosen at the Reapings. I hated the Capitol with all my being.

I sighed and punched at the force field, sending a shockwave up my arm. It felt good to punch something, though. I punched it again, imagining every face of the Capitol workers engraved on it.

My arms and fists were numb when Zelda walked up onto the roof. She was carrying a small bowl of stew and bread, which she gave to me. "It's a good thing you stayed up here during dinner. Snake and Wolf got into a fight and it was pretty ugly."

I looked at her in shock. "Really? What happened?"

"I don't know, apparently Wolf was looking at Samus or something and that made Snake mad even though she despises him…you know, _drama_." She growled. "They need to grow up if they're going to take part in this rebellion."

I nodded and ate the stew she gave me. "How's Pikachu?"

"Better, but still not going to be in any shape to fight when the time comes." Zelda said. "Lucario told me that someone's going to carry him or something when the time comes."

"I was hoping that Trevor or Ash could carry him, because they have those backpacks." I said. "Those could come in really handy."

"So when does the rebellion begin tomorrow?" Zelda asked, lowering her voice just in case. Although I was pretty sure if any Peacekeepers had heard us they would have arrested us all long ago.

"Lucario will give the word." I responded. "It'll be quick and sudden. He'll tell you where to meet and what time. But for now, act normal. We couldn't really have anyone on edge, because that would alert the Capitol."

Zelda nodded. "Makes sense. Good job, Link. You're a great general." She saluted.

"Actually, Wolf helped a lot. And Ganondorf, believe it or not." I stammered.

"Oh, I believe it." Zelda smiled.

** XxXxXxXxXx**

It was beginning to get darker. Darker and more evil. I knew that everyone would probably get next to zero sleep tonight and I couldn't blame them. I decided that the time of the rebellion would be late afternoon in case some of them actually drifted off and didn't wake until later. I stared out the window in my room and wondered if we would actually succeed in anything the following day.

I hoped that if anyone would die, it would be me. I didn't deserve to win the Games. If anyone, Ike was the true winner. He was the fighter, not me. He should be leading this rebellion.

Someone knocked at my door.

I crossed the room and opened it to discover Lucario, who looked determined and solemn.

"_What time tomorrow?_"

I decided I had better tell him now instead of later in case I didn't get a chance. I softly whispered, "Five P.M., main hall."

Lucario nodded and left as silently as he had come.

The rebellion was about to begin, weather I wanted it to or not.


	17. Chapter 17, Ike

_**IKE**_

I estimated I got about three hours of sleep last night. I wondered if anyone else had slept the entire night. If they had, they must be crazy.

I met Marth in the hall as I made my way down to breakfast. He looked like he hadn't slept at all, and I was beginning to feel a bit guilty.

"It's today, right?" Marth asked nervously.

"Yeah. Keep your voice down," I said. "we don't want to give ourselves away, not when we're so close."

Marth nodded worriedly. "I know."

I only ate enough to stop the hunger from gnawing at my insides. As much as I wanted to try everything on the table, I told myself that I wouldn't eat so much I'd throw up. I glanced around to see that all of the Tributes that were gathered around the table had the same worried expression as Marth; which probably matched mine as well.

I left the table as soon as I was finished, Marth quickly following me. I caught an elevator to the roof, where I could look at the sky and land for probably the last time. I would fight for the District, even if it meant death on my part. I would gratefully give my life for anyone against the Capitol and Hunger Games.

"Do you know when?" Marth asked.

"No. Lucario and Link won't tell until they absolutely have to." I said. The buildings in the Capitol looked so…plain. They wouldn't know what was going to take place in the main one. But soon enough they would be under our control too, along with this building Marth and I were standing on.

"We just have to be ready, then." Marth sighed. He sat down on the edge of the roof and glanced down at the sidewalk below.

"Ready and willing to fight." I responded.

I just never thought the time would come so soon…

** LATER**…

"_Everyone, get to the main hall by five! We begin!_"

Lucario's telepathic message brought me to my senses and I jumped up and ran for the door of my room. I flung it open and raced down the stairs, not bothering to wait for the elevator. I found the group, both Tributes and Accompaniments, waiting behind statues and looking only the least bit conspicuous. I joined the group next to Link and said, "Now what?"

"Ash's getting Pikachu. Then once they come back, we begin looking for the weapons they keep hidden here; the ones we're forced to make in the District." Link whispered.

"Good plan." I muttered back. "Is there more?"

"It wasn't all mine. And it's improvised from that point on." Link's tone of voice made me worry if he had really thought this out very well.

Ash ran towards us, Pikachu peeking out from his backpack. "Come on! Peacekeepers are on the way!" He yelled.

"Lucario, do you have a hunch on where the weapons might be?" Samus asked as the group began running down the hall.

"_Lowest floor of this building. There I'm getting huge traces of metal objects. It has to be the weapons._" Lucario pointed to a stairwell, and we raced down it.

There was the pounding of Peacekeeper boots far too close behind us. I risked a glance back to see them an arm's length away. I stopped suddenly, tripping one and causing the others to hesitate. I sped up to re-group with the others, who were far ahead. We were now in a narrow hallway, almost too narrow for us to run shoulder to shoulder through. We began to go single file.

"They're right behind us!" Lucas whimpered.

I glanced back again to see them gaining on us. This time they were drawing some sort of gun…

Before I could react, a bolt of lightning flew from behind me, catching one of the Peacekeepers in the arm. He fell, causing a holdup with the others. I spun around and kept running to catch a glance at Pikachu, who was glowing with electricity.

"Good job, Pikachu!" Ash whispered.

Lucario suddenly stopped, causing Snake to nearly trip over him. "_In here! The weapons!_"

He unlocked the door with his psychic power and we entered into a huge room. A room filled with hundreds and hundreds of weapons. Why the Capitol had them all here, unused, made me worry. But there was no time for that. I grabbed the nearest sword and passed it to Marth, who was once again by my side. Everyone began to pass out weapons.

"All right, grab any extra you can and let's get out of here!" Fox exclaimed, stuffing knives and grenades into his pockets. "We don't have much time!"

Sure enough, when we filed back into the hall we were surrounded by Peacekeepers. Link stepped away from our group and began, "We don't want to fight, but you leave us no choice. We deserve freedom! You only use us to make weapons, and what for? To keep them stored…for show? What exacally? Just to keep us busy in the District? Why?"

One of the Peacekeepers laughed. "It's not what you think it is."

"Then what is it exacally?"

Another Peacekeeper nudged the first. "Come on, we need to get them back upstairs before they get here."

The first Peacekeeper ignored the other and replied to Link, "It's something that hasn't happened before. Did you think that we re-established the Capitol by our own free will?"

That caught me off guard. What did he mean? Was there another group out there…controlling both the Capitol and the District? Were the District dwellers just there to be used, while the Capitol was supplying this mysterious other place with everything they could need? It still didn't explain why the Capitol had all those weapons stored up…

Someone's walkie talkie went off in a burst of static. A voice announced, "We're arriving in two minuets to pick up the rebels. We assure you, they will have a long and painful death. All of them."

Marth gripped his sword tighter and stood rigid by my side. We would have to act quickly.

"ATTACK!" Link yelled, raising his sword.

We all lunged forward, weapons at the ready. I didn't want to kill, but I was afraid I had no choice. It was like being back in the arena…

Before long, a few Peacekeepers lay dead in the hall, blood staining their white uniforms. Others were knocked out and leaning against the walls, while still others that weren't wounded too badly ran for it.

"Come on! We need to find the president!" Link yelled.

We rushed up the flight of stairs we had taken earlier. At the top of the stairs was another group of Peacekeepers, these unarmed. I hesitated, giving them the time to speak.

"We're on your side,"

That took me by surprise. True, they were unarmed, but there was still a possibility that they were only trying to trick us. I kept my sword aiming at the speaker's neck, but he either ignored it or feared no death. Possibly both.

"What do you mean?" Link growled, hostility brimming in his voice. He was beginning to turn into a good leader. "And what's this talk about another Capitol?"

"We'll explain," The speaker of the Peacekeepers said. "if you'll just listen. We don't have time to waste."

"Go ahead. And make it quick."

"You're the District. We're the Capitol. There's another group out there called Genesis. They're trying to take over the entire universe, so far only succeeding with North America on Earth, and the planets you come from. We need to stop them before their reign spreads to the other worlds and enslaves the civilizations."

"How come we haven't heard of them before?" Zelda demanded.

"Because they want to trick the other worlds that we're in charge of everything, when really we aren't. They made us the center of attention so if they decided to attack, we'd get killed and they can move in and wipe out the rebels without any difficulty. We've all walked into a trap."

I could feel the tension in the group. We all realized we've made a grave mistake, probably costing our lives. If this was the end, I was willing to fight it out anyway.

"What about the weapons?" I asked loudly. "Why did you make us make hundreds and hundreds of weapons?"

"So we could use them against Genesis."

Such a plain and simple answer, and yet it made so much sense. The Capitol was fighting its own battle, and we were oblivious to the entire thing. There was another burst of static from a communicator and a voice said, "Arrived."

Then the wall exploded. Glass, plaster and debris rained down on us. I dragged Marth to the ground and told him to shield his head. I pulled Trevor out of the way of a statue as it fell and then took cover myself.

The Capitol was no longer the true enemy. We had worse battles to fight now.


	18. Chapter 18, Wolf

_**WOLF**_

We were, for the first time in history, fighting with the Capitol. It was weird to side with people we originally thought were our worst enemies when now they were probably our best friends. As the last debris settled among us I slowly risked a peek towards the wall.

There was a huge group of people, all uniforms that resembled the Peacekeeper's. Except they were a bright orange.

"Rebels, give up now and your death will be swift," One of the Genesis people spoke loudly.

We one by one began to get out of the rubble. I brushed dust off my arms and eyed the newcomers; my gun at the ready. They were holding similar weapons, only they seemed more high-tech. I glanced to Link for directions.

Before he could open his mouth to speak, a huge mob of Peacekeepers and Capitol workers alike ran around the corner, laden with weapons and screaming battle cries. They charged into the group of Genesis workers and it began.

We joined the brawl. I had to keep telling myself that the Capitol was not our enemy anymore. Once or twice I almost sent one to Kingdom Come.

"Wolf!"

I turned to see Falco dispose of two Genesis workers with four smooth punches and kicks. He threw me a grenade.

"Throw that out the window! They've got some type of robot out there!"

I pulled the pin and lobbed it as hard as I could out the window at what looked like a giant robot that came right from Star Wars. There was a tremendous bang that brought down more rubble on us and the robot burst into flames. It was by far beyond repair.

No matter how many Genesis workers I disposed of, more kept coming. It was like the entire organization of them had come to the Capitol. There was a never ending supply of them. They wouldn't quit until we were dead.

One of them grabbed my arm and I tried to free myself, but another grabbed my other arm and took my blaster. Another Genesis worker brought his knee up into my stomach, causing my to double up with pain. I was trapped.

"Stop!" A voice boomed.

I glanced up to see another Genesis worker, this one dressed in bloodred. He had slicked back black hair and piercing green eyes. The expression on his face was of disgust and disbelief.

"Did you really think that you could be able to stop the entire Genesis?" He said mockingly. "An army of twenty four District members and a puny army of Capitol workers against our force of twenty thousand?"

"Well, we sure as hell tried!" I said loudly, earning me another blow to my gut.

"You never stood a chance." The red-clad Genesis worker sneered. "You never had the slightest chance."

I glanced around to see many of our Capitol alliances dead or dying. Lucario wasn't moving under a Genesis' boot, but the intruder still had an evil looking gun aimed at him. Fox was clutching at his shoulder, where bright red blood was staining it . Two other Genesis people were standing close, never taking their eyes off him.

"Get them on the train. We'll bring them back to Genesis." The leader announced. "Then the scientists can do whatever they want to them."

The workers had to drag me outside. I resisted the best I could, but one of them drove the end of his gun into my head, nearly knocking me unconscious. They pulled me along with ease after that.

"It's going to be ok, Ness." I heard Samus whispering. "We're going to be ok."

"But what about Lucas? What about him? He won't ever stop missing me." Ness whimpered.

I thought about life back at the District and wished that we had known about Genesis before we planned to attack the Capitol. Now we were boarding a train, heading to our deaths.

I could almost hear the voices of the dead calling me again. Whispering my name as if pleading with me to come to them. Last time I almost escaped them. But I knew this time nothing could save me. Link used his wish to just stall our deaths for a few weeks.

I was locked into an empty storage room with Mei Ling, Snake's accompaniment. The walls and floor were made of cold steel and the only door was escape proof. I couldn't see anything and I just barely had enough room to move around. I sat down in the corner and drew my knees up to my chest, wondering how I would officially leave this world.

"So this is it." Mei Ling muttered. "After all this…"

I didn't say anything.

"Come on, Wolf. It could be worse."

"How?" I demanded. "How could this be any worse? We're being sent off to our deaths! We didn't even get a proper goodbye to our District!"

Mei Ling sighed. Her hand closed over mine in the dark. "At least we gave it our all."

"We hardly did anything."

"We did what we could."

"Which was hardly anything."

Mei Ling was quiet for a long time. She let go of my hand and leaned heavily against the wall. "I wonder how long it'll take to get to Genesis."

The longer we stayed in the dark storage room the longer I thought they were just toying with us, letting us suffer over the dark and the future.

I just hoped the end would come soon.


	19. Chapter 19, Snake

_**SNAKE**_

I was in some sort of dark, cold compartment. I hardly had enough room to stretch out my legs without hitting the opposite wall. I leaned back heavily against the wall, hitting the back of my head. The pain felt good. It distracted me from where I was going and why. Bang. How I would never see the District anymore. Bang. It distracted me from thinking of how I failed. Bang. Bang. Bang.

"Snake, stop it!" A girl shouted.

A hand separated the wall from my head. I stopped only because the voice was so commanding. It wasn't a Tribute's voice, that was for sure.

"Who're you?" I muttered. My head felt like I was hitting it from the inside now. "You weren't in the Games."

"I'm Maria. Shadow's accompaniment, remember?"

I briefly remembered a blonde haired girl dressed in pale blue with him most of the time. I never got the chance to speak to them.

"We're going to die." I moaned. "Who knows what they'll do to us."

"They're going to punish the Capitol too. They helped us with the rebellion." Maria said. "Their fate might be as bad as ours."

"I don't know if that's possible," I became silent. I began to imagine the terrible things they would do to us at Genesis. Slave labor wasn't entirely out of the question, but there was a slight chance of that. Torture was almost the number one thought in my head. But considering how many of the people on the train weren't exacally human, there was a great possibility that they'd meet their end in a terrible lab. The possibilities were endless. I would rather face all the Metal Gear anyone could throw at me than this.

I must have started beating my head against the wall again, because Maria stopped me once more.

"We're not going to die," She said firmly. "We're going to escape. Alive."

Just as she finished her last word, the train began to stop. We had reached Genesis—and our doom—at last.

There was a loud shout, and then a bang. Obviously someone had resisted and had been tranquilized or something worse. The train rocked side to side slightly as many people boarded it. There was some scratching at the door…

I stood up, ready to fight. Maria was by my side.

I could hear yelling outside. Another voice joined in…and then the door opened.

I swung my fist out, expecting it to connect with a Genesis worker's face. Instead my fist landed in someone's open palm and they gripped my fist tight.

"Whoa, Snake! Relax!"

I knew that voice. It was a voice I never expected to hear again. I thought I was dreaming, but he said, "You're probably wondering what happened. Long story short, The Peacekeepers and the District members stole a train as it came from the Capitol to interview everyone and we met up here."

Colonel Roy Campbell.

"Thank you." I managed to mutter. "I can't believe this…"

A kid that looked like he came right out of a story walked up. He had white wings protruding from his back and a golden wreath in his messy brown hair. "Um…Campbell, sir? Genesis has gotten message that the train has been stopped. They're sending reinforcements."

"Surround the train, Pit." Campbell said. "Come on, Snake. You're needed."

I followed him outside the train, where everyone else was gathered. Hundreds of Peacekeepers and District dwellers were there, many of who I recognized.

We were given weapons. No swords would be of use here, much to Link's distaste. We were given high powered, sniper and assault rifles.

"The plan is simple!" spoke up a short man in overalls and a red hat. "When the Genesis workers show up, we fight briefly, and then jump onto the train again. We'll make it to their base…and destroy it!"

"Five minuet stationary battle!" Spoke up Meta Knight, who was nearby. "We need to all be on that train in less than thirty seconds."

"So get out there and give it your all. Good luck." Spoke a man in body armor. "Any objections, lady?"

Samus shook her head and gave a thumbs up. "Lead on, commander." Her eyes were determined.

"Then get ready!"

I circled to the front of the train, where many were already gathered. We were itching to lay some hurt on the people who had imprisoned and kept us hostage for years. We wanted to stop this madness once and for all. We wanted _freedom_…

"There they are!"

In the distance I could make out armored vehicles. Hundreds of them. All coming in a long line across the horizon. I checked the gun I held and made sure it was ready to fire. I glanced to my left to see Mei Ling, who looked like she wanted blood. She could be scary from time to time.

I gripped the handle of my gun tighter as the tanks drew nearer. When they were about a hundred feet away, they stopped. These tanks weren't equipped with guns, they were only for transportation…of millions of footsoldiers.

Genesis workers began streaming from the tanks, opening fire on us. I charged at them, returning fire.

"_FREEDOM_!" I heard Falco scream. Others quickly took up the battle cry and all around. I could hear the bullets as they were fired and hitting the ground…and then the occasional deathly sound of the slugs meeting flesh.

I tried to ignore the screams of the dying and shot on. I hit one Genesis worker, sending a stream of blood down the chest of his orange suit. He died instantly. Another collapsed on the ground, clutching at his left eye as his life poured out. Another shot to his head and he was gone. Killing…terrible and yet necessary for us to live. A terrible price to pay.

Pokémon were joining in on the fight, with their trainers guiding them in battle as they themselves wielded pistols. I saw briefly a small birdlike Pokémon wailing as it stood over its fallen master.

"THE TRAIN!" The yell broke through my thoughts and I spun around to see everyone turning and running for the train. I backed up, firing the entire way. We were most vulnerable while retreating.

I made it to the train to be greeted by a terrible sight. Many District dwellers and Capitol workers lay bleeding on the train's floors, with the limited number of doctors tending to them, but for many, their efforts were in vain. I watched as Samus' commander died.

"Here we go! Hold on!"

The shout came a bit too late. With a lurch, the train sped off on the tracks, faster than normal. _Too_ fast. I just barely managed to keep myself from falling on one of my dying comrades. With a giant crash, we collided with a tank, but the train won. The front of it was obviously damaged terribly, but it kept going faster.

I sunk into an unclaimed and un-bloodstained seat and even then, just barely managed to hold on as the train reached speeds that were nearly impossible. Samus sat next to me, staring at her dead commander.

"I'll kill them all." She muttered. "Every last Genesis worker. Everyone."

I only nodded sadly. "As much as I don't want to kill, I have to."

"Remember reasoning isn't completely out of the question." Link grabbed the armrest of the seat. His right eye was swollen shut and just above it was a bleeding cut that should have gotten treated long ago. "If they surrender, we don't kill any more of them."

"I know." Samus replied stiffly. "But they've killed so many of us…"

Link nodded. Zelda caught sight of him and quickly healed him with her weakening power. She had been helping heal as many of the wounded as she could, and it was beginning to take its toll.

"There's a city! Up ahead!"

I glanced out the window at what indeed looked like a vast city rising up in the distance. It approached fast, making me wonder what exacally the speed of the train was. That was when Wolf confirmed my worst suspicion.

"I've lost control of the train!" Wolf growled up from the control center. "When we hit the tank…it smashed some of the controls! I can't stop the train!"

I jumped up and ran to where he was, trying to make sense of the smashed and vast array of sparking buttons, dials, and switches.

"Isn't there an emergency brake?" Krystal shouted.

"Look for it! If there is any, it should be back there!"

I twisted a dial only to have it break off in my hand. I glanced at the speedometer which was reaching an incredible five hundred miles an hour. I tried a lever, but nothing happened.

There was a terrible screeching sound and I was nearly thrown through the bulletproof windshield. The train's speed began to drop sharply to four hundred MPH and then lower. Krystal had found the brake.

"I found another one!" someone shouted, and the screeching intensified, as did the deadening of momentum.

We were close enough to the city to make out billboards and signs. But still, we rocketed past the first buildings at an incredible one hundred and fifty MPH. The screeching got even louder, if possible.

"The train station's up ahead!" Ike shouted.

I desperately pushed more buttons, trying for anything that would slow the train enough so if we crashed, we wouldn't die. At least the people further back would have a chance if we crashed at this moment.

Another loud screech. The train began lurching towards the station, making spastic movements forward. With a sickening crunch of metal, we collided with another train. At least this one wasn't moving.

Wolf and I were flung into the windshield. There was an unearthly silence that settled over the train, broken only by the dying moans coming from a few of our companions. I painfully moved back into the main compartment, blood flowing from a long piece of metal embedded in my side. I stumbled into the wall and slid down it, clutching at the piece of death.

"Snake? Snake, just stay still!" Zelda was at my side now. Much to my horror, she pried the piece out of me, sending white hot sparks of pain through me. It was so intense I didn't have time to moan or cry out. Then a numbing sensation spread through me as she began to heal my wound. It took longer than it did healing the others in the train after they were dragged onboard, probably because she was so drained. But she did it. She saved my life. I would live to see our invasion of Genesis.

But I wasn't so sure about Wolf.


	20. Chapter 20, Lucario

_**LUCARIO**_

Half of us were to go and attack the main building. The other half would stay on the train and either defend it or tend to the wounded. I was among the half that was going to attack.

"There was a huge building that we zipped past as we entered Genesis," Trevor said to the group. "so I think we should head there first. It seemed like a capitol building."

"Make sure you have every type of weapon you can possibly carry!" Link shouted. "We don't know what we're going to be going up against!"

Ganondorf handed me a sword. "You might need it." He said. "One Psychic person might be useless here if Genesis has an unnumbered amount of guns."

I accepted the sword and had a brief flashback of the arena, as Shadow shoved the sword through my chest, ending my life…

"Hey, stay focused." Ganondorf slapped me on the back. "I know it's not the best weapon for you, considering what happened, but it's what we have."

I nodded warily. "_I'll put it to use._" I responded.

I glanced behind me at the train, where Zelda was staying to try to get Wolf stable. He had been impaled by the metal and supposedly shatterproof glass, and no one was expecting him to live. But still, Zelda wouldn't give up on anyone…

"MOVE OUT!" Link shouted.

I was taken by surprise and Trevor had to nudge me before I actually moved. We ran towards a huge, dark colored building in the near distance. It looked like it was painted as dark as the night sky with bands of orange lining the pillars and windows. Genesis obviously lived to the fullest here.

A couple of soldiers not even completely in uniform ran onto the streets from buildings, but someone in our group always gunned them down. We made it to the building before we actually ran into trouble.

Genesis Peacekeepers were lined up in rows on the first steps. We had an intense shootout in which the Capitol Peacekeeper next to me died. I eased him to the ground, where he died looking straight into my furious eyes. He wouldn't die in vain. No one would. We would regain our freedom.

Many of the Genesis workers dropped their guns and fled, like they had never expected battles to be this bloody. Inexperienced, young, and pampered. Obviously they never saw this coming. I picked up their fallen guns and handed them out to my group members that were out of weapons.

We entered the building to find ourselves in a massive room, with a crystal chandelier hanging from the roof and lit up with many tiny, almost snow-like lightbulbs. There was an abandoned receptionist's desk on the opposite wall, and a few chairs spaced evenly in front of it. Stairs to the left; which two orange clad Peacekeepers were running up, and a door to the right.

"Spread out." Link commanded.

I headed towards the stairs, trying to sense if anyone was upstairs. Others went to the door and opened it to discover a janitor's closet. Disappointed, they turned to the stairs along with us.

We entered the second floor to find a group of people cowering under their computers, begging for mercy. Link lifted one up by his shirt collar and demanded, "Where's your leader here?"

The man was trembling and tears stained his face. "Our…our leader?" He stuttered.

"Yes, your leader!" Link roared, impatient.

"Upstairs! Please d-don't hurt me!"

Link threw the man to the side and motioned for us to head to the stairs. We did, and ascended another level to find working cubicles and desks.

"Is there anyone here, Lucario?" Marth asked, nervously, clutching his sword so tight his knuckles turned white.

I closed my eyes briefly and tried to sense the different auras in the room. Apart from ours, there was no one else. "_No one's here._" I said at last.

"Quickly, keep going." Link said, and we climbed another flight to the top of the building.

We were greeted by a mob of combat mask-wearing Genesis Peacekeepers, all holding guns that were aimed at our heads. In the middle of them was a fat, smartly dressed man. He wore a black suit and tie, with an orange undershirt. A weird combination, but that was what appeared to be Genesis' patriotic colors. He had dark hair that was combed neatly and piercing blue eyes.

"So you're the resistance?" He eyed our group like he didn't even care. "Pitiful."

Even through we were a good three hundred or so strong, his group of fifty or so orange clad Peacekeepers could easily dispose of us. I tried to sense the emotions of the leader, but the emotions of fear, anger and hatred from my companions blocked it out. I gripped my sword instead.

"We'll give you a chance." Link said. "Surrender now and let the District and Capitol go and we'll spare you. If you don't, you die. Simple as that."

"You're hardly in a position to bargain." The president smirked.

"So are you." Link retorted.

It seemed to me both sides were locked in a stalemate. If someone so much as moved in our group, we would be shot dead. Same could be said for the other group, although they wouldn't hesitate to shoot at us. Ditto to our group.

Both the president and Link seemed to realize this. Link said, "We have another reinforcement group waiting for us to call them. And I won't hesitate to call them in too."

The president laughed. "Is that so? I have an entire city at my control. They wouldn't hesitate to take you out in a heartbeat."

"Seems they were pretty scared by our group."

"Seems like you're bluffing."

They stared at each other for a while.

"Hurry and either decide to attack or surrender. We don't have all day." The president cast an icy glare at Link, which he returned.

"All right. Attack." Link said.

I was just about to rush forward when two orange Peacekeepers turned their guns on the Genesis president. He stepped backwards in alarm. The other Peacekeepers turned their guns on the two that were threatening him.

"What is this?" The president yelled. "What do you think you're doing?"

The three hundred or so of us began to spread out and surround the Peacekeepers and their leader. The two aiming their guns at him never flinched. I tried desperately to sense their auras of the two…

"This is a little surprise." Link smiled more evilly than I had ever seen him smile before. "A little …_unplanned_ surprise, if I may."

I began to get a small hint of an aura from the Peacekeeper on the right. I recognized it from the District from so many times before.

It was Samus.

"One more time, president," The Peacekeeper on the left said. "surrender or die."

That was Snake.

The president's face paled and he spun around in a full circle, trying to find some way to escape. He found none, only the barrels of the guns aimed at him.

He tried to grab Samus' gun away from her, but she backed up and shot three shots.

Blood blossomed at the president's neck and his orange shirt. With a choked gasp, he collapsed…and didn't move.

"NO ONE MOVE!" Link shouted so loudly that many people jumped. "Unless you want to die. Now, drop your weapons. Your leader is dead."

One by one, the orange Peacekeepers dropped their weapons and backed up against the wall.

Excitement cut through me. had we really just won? Had we really just gained freedom for all the worlds? Had we…?

It was almost too good to be true.

That was about when there was a thunderous bang. I turned to look out the window to see a huge ball of flame and smoke rise into the air. And then another. They were slowly making a line towards the building we were in.

"_WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE…NOW!_" I shouted. "_They're bombing the city!_"

Link didn't need telling twice. We began to run for the stairs, picking up Peacekeeper weapons along the way. We ran down the four flights of stairs and out onto the steps of the building. The smoke and flames grew ever nearer…along with the thunderous explosions.

One landed on the capitol building as we just reached the street and it was obliterated in fire and debris.


	21. Chapter 21, Shadow

_**SHADOW**_

Why Genesis was bombing its own city was a mystery to me. Unless, of course, they cared about its inhabitants as much as they did us. I had stayed behind at the train while the others left to destroy the president of this horrid place. I was at the moment sitting at the entrance of the train with a gun in my hand, waiting for any orange Peacekeeper to cross my path.

But along with guarding came the terrible sounds of the dying. The doctors had been unable to save three others that were wounded at the previous battle. Now the bodies were under the train, out of sight.

A bomb landed dangerously close. Debris showered down on the train, imitating the sound of rain. I jumped up and eyed the sky, trying to find something to shoot at. But there was nothing. Nothing at all.

Another bomb dropped, this one further away. I glanced anxiously at the building the others had disappeared into. Was it just me, or did those bombs seem to be getting closer and closer to it?

A long scream came from the inside of the train. After it had faded Zelda's voice became worried, and then pleading. She burst into tears. I risked a glance into the train to see them carry off another body. This one smaller than most of the rest.

A kid. He had to only have been fourteen. Another brave Pokémon Trainer.

Zelda was sobbing into one of the seats, with Maria sitting next to her, a terribly sad expression on her face as she whispered something to Zelda.

I tore my gaze away from them and looked out past the buildings towards the capitol again. Another bomb dropped, this one close to it. It wasn't my imagination. They _were_ getting closer.

"The bombs are getting closer and closer to the capitol!" I shouted. "They're going to destroy it!"

As soon as I finished that sentence, another bomb dropped. This time on the capitol. With an earsplitting bang, it exploded in a fiery light.

I grabbed a small knife and ran for the obliterated building. Others that had stayed behind had the same idea, and soon we were nearing the wreckage. Lucario was struggling to stand and shaking violently.

"Lucario, are you all right?" I demanded, helping him stand.

I then realized he was shaking because he was laughing. "_We did it,_" He laughed. "_We did it. The Capitol and our worlds are free again!_"

** XxXxXxXxXx**

We recovered everyone. No one was killed from the bombs, but they were injured. We brought them back to the train where the doctors patched them up. Link stood outside the train as a huge group of people from Genesis gathered around and announced:

"Genesis! Your leader is dead! The Capitol and the District are no longer your slaves! We can live in harmony, sharing tasks and helping each other like many other nations! I ask only of you to accept this offer so we can re-start our lives."

I never heard their answer because that was when another bomb went off in the distance. I looked out one of the train's shattered windows to see that another building had gone up in flames. It seemed as though Genesis was wired to nearly self-destruct if anyone decided to take control of it; killing hundreds of probably innocent people. But the ones that were left could be useful in starting a new life.

And that's what happened.


	22. Epilogue, Lucas

_** EPILOGUE , LUCAS**_

It's been one year sense we overthrew Genesis. Earth has been restored to normal, or as normal as you could get while there's non-native species running around on it. Many have decided to stay and improve life here. Link was one of them, along with Zelda, Ganondorf and Midna.

Based upon the old American administration, a democracy, we formed our new government. A president was elected. Link had been nominated for the office, but he refused. So instead we had Roy, with his Vice-President; Ike. Already the world was changing around us. Buildings being re-built, farms being started, and friendships being established. The Capitol and the District had come close, although they occasionally discluded the people of Genesis. Arguments broke out among them, but Roy was quick to settle them. People began to get along more than they had in a long time.

I must say, I was thrilled to see Ness again. I had thought I would have never seen him again after I heard the news that the rebellion had started in the Capitol. Many of us were beyond lucky to have survived, including Wolf. He was getting along slowly but surely. Zelda had barely managed to save him.

There was no chance of the Hunger Games to ever come back. There would never be an organization that would have control over the people ever again. Our government was placed as firmly as a stone. There would be no more uprisings.

For the first time in more than a hundred years, we were free.

** END**

** XxXxXxXxXxXx**

** AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

** Wow, a 21 chaptered FanFiction. Amazing! And it was only 80 pages long! Wow! **

** Anyway, I hoped you liked this, because this took a very long time to write. I had to plan everything out… character development… plotline…gah, there was a lot. And to me, the ending went too fast. I'M NEVER GOOD WITH ENDINGS! SORRY!**

** I hoped you liked it, anyway.**

** No flames!**

** Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

** Lordoftheghostking28 **


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